Landlord:

Please excuse the misunderstanding. I would like to respectfully point out that the hot tub was not listed in “the rules,” and after a long day at work I couldn’t resist it. Please accept the enclosed drawing as an apology but I would also request that you reconsider the use of the hot tub. If there is any time of day that my use would be acceptable, it would be greatly appreciated.

Annabelle Martin

I had no idea if he would take the salutation as one of snark or not. I hoped the gift of the picture would soften him up at least a little. I supposed if he said “no,” I would learn to live with it, but it seemed awfully selfish of him. What good were things like hot tubs if they weren’t frequently used?

I found an envelope in the office to put the picture in and stored it in my bag. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get it to him, but I’d worry about that when I got home. Not wanting to eat another frozen pizza, I called for a car to pick me up and take me to the grocery store.

When I arrived home, I unpacked my groceries and then moved to the doors to stare at the big house that loomed across the yard. It seemed the protocol was to leave the note on the front door. Okay, then.

I found some tape in the utility drawer and took it with me. I walked briskly down the path that cut through the side yard and led to the front door of the big house. The sun had set, leaving a smoky blue dusk behind that shifted into darkness by invisible degrees.

The path was lined with short garden lamps, making pools of light that I strode through as I walked to the house. The night was chilly and I noted the lack of noise. No cars could be heard tucked away this far from the main roads, and the songbirds had obviously called it a day. I was right behind them. I could not wait to microwave my bowl of prepackaged ramen and put on my pajamas.

When I reached the house, I hesitated. There was a light illuminating the front door, but the windows on either side had the same heavy drapery as the back of the house. Truly, if I didn’t know any better, I would think the place was vacant.

Quietly, slowly, cautiously, I approached the front door. No one popped out of the house to yell at me, so I assumed my presence had gone undetected. Cool.