His fever had finally broken and it was time for him to go back to work. He couldn’t be more excited either. The last two weeks and been ones of excruciating boredom. He was uncomfortable just sitting around by himself and was always looking for something to keep occupied. It was tough in his spare apartment. Occasionally he’d flip on the Sears-bought VCR-combo television in the corner of his apartment, but he didn’t have the money for cable and so he got almost no reception. All he could think about was getting back to his post and resuming his routine. That’s what really brought him comfort.
He arrived at the 7th Avenue apartment complex at 7 am on the nose. He always got there precisely at 7 am. This obsessively rigid attention to being prompt was what made his days bearable. He couldn’t fathom how people could amble about their days with no sense of structure. He’d be lost without structure.
He took his post outside the window and did a few stretches to get ready for a long day. As he stood up from having bent to touch his toes, he saw the postman arriving with the daily mail.
“Mornin’ Tony,” he said.
“Good morning Sebastian,” the mailman replied, leafing through a handful of mail. “Haven’t see you in awhile.”
“I was sick,” Sebastian said.
“Sorry to hear that. It’s almost good to have you back.”
Sebastian chuckled and pulled his knee up to his chest. Tony went inside the lobby of the apartment building and dropped off his mail. Then he left and waved to Sebastian, politely disinterested.
The morning went by quickly. A few residents saw him and shook their heads. One old woman even told him she was going to call the super. He flipped her the bird and went back to his post.
At about 12:30 in the afternoon a young woman in her late twenties exited the building. Sebastian had never seen her before.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“No. I’m cool,” he said.
“I noticed you earlier this morning as I was getting breakfast,” she told him. “I thought you were one of the painters.”
“Nope.”
They looked at each other and didn’t say anything.
“So...what ARE you doing in the bushes?” she asked finally.
Sebastian shook his head and smiled to himself. He’d answered this question so many times before it always made him laugh.
“Waiting,” he said.
“Waiting?”
“Waiting.”
“For who or what?” she asked.
He laughed again, this time a little louder than usual. This woman was definitely a new resident.
“For Stacy,” he said.
“Stacy.”
“Stacy.”
There was another awkward moment of silence as they sized each other up.
“Stacy who?” she asked.
“Stacy Reynolds. Apartment 2B,” he said and threw a thumb over his shoulder to point at the window directly behind him. “That’s her window right there. You must be new here. I haven’t seen you before.”
“Yes,” the woman replied. “I moved in last week. Do you do this a lot?”
“Stand in the hedge?”
“Yeah.”
“Um-hm.”
“Well...”
Sebastian wanted her to go now. He’d been distracted long enough. He really should get back to his watch.
“Have you been waiting long?” the woman asked.
“Two years.”
“Two years?!”
“Two year ago this May,” Sebastian said. “She told me she didn’t want to see me anymore. That was on Friday the 17th, it was about 3:18 and we were on the boardwalk. She had on Hello Kitty flip flops that I’d just won playing skeeball.”
“Wow,” the woman said. “You have an impressive memory.”
“And so I wait.”
“For two years,” she said.
“For two years.”
“You don’t think she’s moved on?” she asked.
“Oh she has,” Sebastian replied. “Several times. But she’ll come back. It’s our destiny. That’s why I stand here. So she won’t forget. Our lives are intricately entwined. I can read her thoughts sometimes.”
“Really?”
“I see her in the window sometimes and I know she’s thinking about me.”
“You said she lives in apartment 2B?” the woman asked.
“Yup.”
“Stacy Reynolds?”
“Yup.”
“I’m sorry to tell you this, but...2B is MY apartment now.”
“Whatta ya mean?”
“I live in 2B,” she said.
“That’s impossible,” Sebastian argued.
“Nope. That’s my apartment.”
“Fuck.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Shit.”
“You didn’t know she moved?”
“I’ve been sick the last two weeks so I haven’t been at my post. Shit!”
“I wish there was something I could do,” she said.
“Did she leave a forwarding address?”
“Not with me. I don’t even know her.”
“Damn.”
“Why don’t you check with the landlord?” she offered.
“He hates me. Says I’m a nuisance.”
“Really?”
“I offered to work for free too, so I could hang around ya know, maybe cut the grass, trim the hedge...”
“What did he say?”
“Said he’d call the cops.”
“That’s rough.”
“Yeah.”
They stood there looking at each other. Sebastian looked down at his blanket and lunchbox, both neatly set up at the base of Apartment 2B’s window. He looked back at the woman.
“You have a boyfriend?”
“Kinda.”
“You have any interest in having someone spy on you through your window at all hours of the day?”
She didn’t answer, just looked at him strangely.
“It’s just, I’m real comfortable here. This is a great spot for prying.”
“It’d be a shame to see it go to waste,” the woman said.
“I’ve been here two years.”
“Two years.”
“It’s my home away from home.”
“You’d be ok?” she asked. “Just switching like that? Spying on someone else all of a sudden? I thought you said you two were meant to be together. It was destiny?”
“Guess I was wrong.”
“Guess so.”
They looked at each other cautiously, but with a little interest. Sebastian was suddenly very attracted to her and the woman felt a strange enchantment as well.
“So...uh,” Sebastian stuttered. “You goin’ out?”
“For a bit,” she said.
“Is it o.k. if I’m here when you get back?”
“I...uh...” she laughed. “I...guess.”
“Cool.”
“Cool.”
“So, uh, have a good time,” he said.
“You too, “ she said.
“I’ll see you when you get back.
And when you go to sleep.
And...”
“I get it. I get it.”
“Ha!” Sebastian laughed. “Well, thanks.”
“Bye now,” she said and winked at him as she left.
“Look forward to stalking you!” he yelled out. And he did look forward to it. He picked up his blanket and moved it to a different spot under the window and went about preparing his new position.
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