‘Large single bedroom available in houseshare, female only. Whitechapel, £80/wk incl except phone. Sky TV, broadband internet, 2 bath. shared by 4, large living area.’ She called and arranged a viewing with a woman called Emily.

Later in the afternoon, Aurélie rode the District Line to East London.

The bedroom available for rent filled the space between the bathroom and the stairs to the loft. It couldn’t fit a double bed but its clean and neutral walls, the fitted wardrobe and the row of shelves above the fire place pleased her.

“This is great,” Aurélie said.

Emily and Aurélie returned to the kitchen, where Lucy had put the kettle on. A few dishes half filled the sink and two plates had been forgotten on the table but overall, Aurélie spotted no reason to believe the occupants of the house lived in dirty conditions. Two big fridges stood against the left wall and a cooker, an oven and various smaller appliances surrounded the freezer on the opposite side, near the back door. Lucy and Emily offered Aurélie a drink and they all settled with a cup of tea in the garden. Aurélie asked a few questions and they explained that the landlord didn’t impose any strict rule, except for paying the rent on time.

“Gareth, the landlord, should be home any minute now. If you don’t mind waiting, you can meet him,” Emily said.

“He lives here?”

“Yes, he’s got the front bedroom upstairs. He’s really nice,” Lucy said.

“I didn’t realise there was a man living here. I thought it was an all female houseshare.”

“Is it a problem?”

“No, of course no. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Aurélie’s eyes twitched a little. “I don’t mind at all.”

“I’ll give him a ring to see where he is,” Emily said.

About fifteen minutes later, Gareth walked in and dropped two shopping bags on the kitchen table.

“Oh my god, I am exhausted! Never ever go shopping at six o’clock. The shops are packed, I had to queue for ages to pay, a nightmare,” Gareth said as he served himself a glass of wine. “I so need a drink!”

Emily and Lucy laughed. “Oh Jesus, you must be wondering who I am. I am Gareth. I’m not usually such a mess but it’s been a mad, mad day.” He smiled at Aurélie and tucked his blonde fringe behind his ear. “Sit down,” he patted on the chair next to him. Aurélie didn’t move and he crossed his arms.

“So, Emily was telling me you are French and you work for a hotel here. Are you a cook?”

“No, I’m not. I’m a sanitary manager.”

“Shame, I was looking forward to you cooking some delightful French dishes for us.” He sighed. “I love French food.”

“Any favourite dish?”

“I love ratatouille. Beuf braisé. Goat cheese. Fondue. Brandade de morue.”

“Brandade? It’s from around where I live.”

“Are you from Nîmes?”

“Yes!” Aurélie lowered herself to the seat next to him. “Have you been there?”

“No, I haven’t unfortunately. I don’t travel much, I am scared of flying.”

“Me too! I was so scared on my way here, I didn’t sleep at all the night before.”

Gareth smiled and turned to Emily and Lucy. “Ladies, let me introduce you to your new flatmate.” He bowed then grabbed Aurélie’s hand, which he kissed.

“Really? You mean I can have the room?”

“Sure. A French girl from Nîmes, how can I say no? When can you move in?”

“The sooner the better for me, I’m staying in a horrible hostel right now.”

“The sooner the better for me too, I‘ve got a mortgage to pay. You can move today if you want.”

“That would be great. I can bring all my stuff later tonight.” Aurélie stood .

“That’s that sorted then. Oh before I forget, I need a two months deposit plus one week rent in advance. Cash is better. I‘ll write you a contract.”

“Two months?” Aurélie flopped back on the chair.

“Did I say two months? I mean two weeks.”

Five minutes later, Aurélie glanced at the big clock in Whitechapel tube station ticket hall, hurried past the gates and gave two pounds to the man singing a somewhat strange rendition of Walk on the wild side.

***

Later that week, Gareth suggested they organised a party for Aurélie’s birthday the following Saturday, hoping they could catch the back end of the summer and enjoy the garden before Autumn brought in cold evenings. Aurélie invited her colleague Ana and left a message on Katie’s mobile, giving her new address and number.

She ate some of the pasta sauce she had cooked the night before while watching TV. No backpackers interrupted her, no lonely receptionist chatted her up, nothing to sort out tonight, space for her emotions, time to reflect on her life in London and her new friendship with Katie.

 

Read Chapter 10 now

Back to Table of contents

Leave your comments on this blog post.