Unit 209 - The Uncooperative Tenant (Part 1) | 9 January 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2612 | Prompt: the worst result

The sun poured through the third floor window. Another day had dawned on Unit 320 of the Northridge Brownstone Complex, bringing with it fresh hopes for a brighter and quieter existence. Benny, its resident, for more than ten years, was one of twenty.

He rose suddenly with a brilliant idea. He'd declare himself Manager. For the remainder of the day, he weighted the pros and cons of this new title.

So the next day, he telephoned the owner of the building with the proposition. Compensation wouldn't be included as part of the position. Rather an offer of fringe benefits, which included reduced rent.

Happy to oblige, management agreed to the arrangement.

No rules were set. No official announcement was circulated advising tenants. Benny would just keep an "unofficial" eye on the premises to ensure all went well.

Hoping to impress the building owner, he adopted the nickname "Thorny Hopkins". Thorny stood five foot, five inches, applied ghastly tattoos, and weighed amply more than his height could accommodate. Known for his quick wit, his words stung when stirred to action and cut deep whenever an issue required mediation.

Off all his duties, approving new tenants was his favorite.

Drunk with perceived power, Thorny proceeded to "manage" in his unique style. Having elicited intimate details of all tenants helped. How he acquired his knowledge could be categorized as unethical.

On the second floor, Monica Evans, occupied Unit 209. A beautiful, slim, shapely, physically fit, and amicable tenant who moved in a year ago, she endeavored to maintain a friendly, yet distant co-existence with her neighbors.

The rumor spread like wildfire that Benny was now their Manager. Upon hearing this, Monica rubbed her temple, pursed her lips, then took a long moment before responding, cognizant of the particular tenant who brought the information.

Puzzled, she merely replied, "I wish him the best of luck in his new position," Maddie," before turning and running up the stairs to her apartment.

Once inside, she laughed for a good five minutes, wondering why anyone would trust Benny to oversee anything important. Regardless of Benny's new title, her standards dictated that she not adhere to any oral rules without proper advance documentation from the appropriate source. The Building Owner.

Monica continued her daily routine.

Her workouts rivaling that of marathon participants' preparations, was the envy of all at the Brownstone, except Thorny. He had no desire to emulate her or obtain the physique she cherished. Running up and down three flights of stairs was ridiculous, in his opinion.

For those residents whose jobs involved shift work, Monica's routine upset their downtime. Whether sleeping or enjoying their time off, her quest to stay healthy interrupted their lifestyle. This was true especially pertaining to the first floor common area. Her oversized exercise equipment, too large for her apartment, overran available space for other residents to enjoy the space.

Several months of inconvenience was enough to lodge their complaint against Monica. They'd tolerated her antics and was now ready to sign a petition to have her evicted from the brownstone for disturbing the peace.

A meeting was held in the common area.

Thorny listened, gleefully accepting the petition. For months, he'd contrived different scenarios to justify evicting Monica from the building. His dislike of her totaling more than seven objections didn't originate from a logical place. Perhaps it was her looks. The representation of her physique. Her cheerful disposition. Or perhaps, her unwillingness to share personal information with other tenants. No way to gain a foothold into that one's private life!

Fuming, Monica accelerated as she tackled the stairs. With the petition in her hand, she knocked loudly twice.

Immediately Thorny flung wide the door as if expecting her.

The stench was the first thing that slapped Monica in the face. She reared her head and stepped back before her eyes traveled the length of the wide frame that blocked entrance. She couldn't discern whether the odor originated from Thorny or the dirty room before he raised his arm high to catch the door.

No matter. Entering his unit was the farthest thought in her mind.

He could tell immediately that the complaint against Monica didn't set well and wouldn't end in amicably. He started quickly so that he could gain some semblance of control.

"Is there anything in the document you didn't understand or need to contest as false?" He stood his ground, staring up at her.

"You have no authority over me or my apartment, pretender," Monica barked, returning his gaze, then continued, "I'll file a lawsuit against you and the owner."*

Thorny lowered his arms and opened the door.

"If you'd rather take your chances with that stupid, fallback move, then by all means go for it. But I guarantee you won't like the outcome. It'll be the worst result you can imagine, so I'd advise you to stop talking nonsense and use that pretty little head of yours for actual thinking."

When Monica didn't flinch at the attempted sarcasm, Thorny continued.

"Just calm the hell down, and stop being emotional. If you can manage that, step inside, and let's discuss this like adults." He then spread his hand wide as if issuing an invitation.

Monica took a quick survey of the room. It told her all she needed to know as stains scattered on the floor covering resembled a carpet of crushed bugs.

She curled her lip, snorted as if she'd inhaled a foul odor, then hissed.

"Think I'll pass on dirtying myself in that filthy apartment. I'm putting you on notice that threatening a tenant and speaking in a derogatory manner will be added to the complaint."

With that, Monica threw the petition in his face, turned, and walked calmly down the stairs.

[to be continued]

For my theme, I was inspired by and utilized the Hive account@daily.prompt's publishing of two prompts:

9 January 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2612: the worst result and

4 January 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2607: carpet of crushed bugs