Almost two months into working my new job, I finally had saved enough money to move out of Bette’s. I found an apartment that was looking for one more roommate. Mind you, it was a small one bedroom apartment, and there were already four other girls living in it, but after squatting in old warehouses, I knew how to share space. And the fact that the apartment would be mine, legally mine, made all the difference to me. And since all the other girls already lived there, the only thing I really needed to get when I moved in was a bed. I took Al with me to a Salvation Army store and found a used, but still in relatively good shape, futon. She helped me carry it to my truck, then lug the thing up to the apartment. I was glad when she at least kept her opinion of my new place to herself. I knew it was a shithole, but it was mine. And after having never having a place of my own, I loved that shithole.

“Where are we setting this up?”

I pointed to a corner of the living room. “Three of the other girls are in the bedroom, and there’s only one out here, so we figured I’d sleep out here too.”

Al shrugged, looking around, “Well, I guess you won’t be bringing anyone home at night then, will you? That should be a change after having Bette’s pad to woo women with.”

I laughed as we dropped the futon onto its frame. “Actually, that will be no different than before. I never brought anyone back to Bette’s.”

Al gaped at me, “Really? Why not? I mean, that room… the pool… I mean, come on!”

I shook my head, “No. It wasn’t my place to do that to Bette. Yeah, she said she wouldn’t mind, but in the end, it wasn’t my place. And in all honesty, I don’t want to bring people to where I sleep. I have a good time with them and that’s all. I don’t want them becoming part of my life or something.”