Chapter 3

Friday, October 25, 2024

“Mike?” Ashley hammered on the bathroom door. “You’ve got a call. Mr. Hopkins.”

It took him a moment to place the name. “Can you take a message? I’ve just got out of the shower.”

“Sure.”

He grabbed a towel and rubbed himself briskly.

Has it really been ten months since he wrote?

Mike hadn’t given the matter much thought. He’d been too busy trying to keep his head above water.

Let’s face it. I’m not cut out to run my own business. Everything he’d turned his hand to had flopped. His design company, of which he’d had such high hopes, had floundered with the rampant growth of AI. Then he’d had the idea of starting up a business to provide phone-based staff for insurance companies. He’d had over a thousand people on his books, and it had been going reasonably well—until most of the companies he dealt with started training AI bots, and proved to be scarily good at it.

Whoever invented AI should have their ass kicked.

The past six months, he’d had a job with the post office, and while it kept a roof over his head, it wasn’t what he wanted, and he didn’t want to get stuck there.

He came out of the bathroom and dressed quickly, his mind racing.

Please, let this be something useful.

Ashley handed him his phone. “He said to call him when you were free.”

Mike redialed the last number, struggling to remain calm.

“Mr. O’Neill? Thank you for getting back to me so promptly.” In the background, Mike caught the sound of loud music.

“Is there something going on there?”

Mr. Hopkins chuckled. “Only the usual shenanigans that happens every Halloween.” He paused. “Now, to business. I am delighted to inform you that all the legalities have been taken care of. Your uncle left you a property.”

“Seriously?” Mike had never imagined the bequest would be so substantial. He mouthed wow to Ashley.

“Indeed. But… there is a slight problem.”

This is where he pulls the rug out from under me, isn’t it?

“Yes?”

“The property should be unoccupied, but it seems there are squatters residing there. Attempts have been made to eject them by the Provincetown Police department, but as yet, all such measures have failed to do so.”

Mike gripped his phone. “I see. What action do you recommend I take?”

“Well, perhaps meeting with them might help you to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.”

“The police department?”

Ashley raised her eyebrows.

“No, Mr. O’Neill—the squatters. You’ll need to visit my office to collect the keys and sign some paperwork anyway. Do you have time for such a visit?”

Mike would make time.

“I’ll come see you. I’ll call to let you know when I’ll be arriving.”

“Excellent. I’m sure this can all be sorted out.”

“These squatters, Mr. Hopkins. Who are they? Homeless people?”

Ashley’s eyebrows headed north again, only higher this time.

He cleared his throat. “They’re not homeless, no, but… Well, I think it best you see for yourself. I don’t think for a minute that they would inflict any damage to the property. They’re not that kind of people.”

Mike frowned. “You make it sound as though you know them personally.”

Mr. Hopkins coughed. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have another call coming through. I look forward to meeting you soon. You have my address on the letter.” He hung up.

Ashley pounced. “Squatters?”

He nodded. “But I can’t escape the feeling there’s something odd going on here.”

“So you’re going there to sort them out? Toss them out on their asses?”

Mike didn’t have a clue what he was going to do. “I’m going to play this one by ear.”

“When do we leave?”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

She stared at him. “You weren’t thinking of going without me, were you?” She clenched her fists. “I can be handy if it comes down to a fight.”

Mike laughed. “Ash, you’re five-feet-two and skinny as a pencil. A rough breeze would knock you over.”

“Then take me along for my brains.” She gave him a beseeching glance. “Look, I’ve had it with stuffing envelopes, okay? I need a break. I’ll get another job when we get back.”

“Just like that, huh?” Except his mind was following the same route, only further along it.

“Mike? I know that face. What’s on your mind?”

He gestured to the apartment. “The lease is almost up on this place. So… who says we have to renew it?”

It was Ashley’s turn to blink. “Huh?”

Mike sighed. “It seems I have a house in Provincetown. I own it outright. So why pay rent here when we could live there?”

Boston hadn’t worked out for him. Maybe Provincetown would.

“You’re suggesting we move there? Permanently?”

“Why not? What have we got to lose?”

“But what about jobs? What about taxes on the place? What happens if—?”

“We’re going nowhere here. Time to try something different. We can find jobs if necessary, and as for the taxes? Well, we’ll figure that out. But we can’t stay here anymore. We’re wasting our time and our potential. We’re already at rock-bottom. In the words of a song, the only way is up. And maybe the start of that journey is in Provincetown.”

“P-town, sweetie. If you’re gonna live there, call it P-town. Much shorter, less of a mouthful.” Ashley’s eyes sparkled. “Well, you’re going to fit right in. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all the men living there aren’t gay.”

“Then you’ll do it?”

She chuckled. “You just said it. What have we got to lose? That’s if you’re sure you want me as a roommate.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Duh. Okay, so I have no idea how big this place is, but I’m pretty sure there’ll be room enough for someone your size. Even if it’s a closet under the stairs.”

“Hey, I’m not that small.” She straightened. “So I repeat… when do we leave?”

“As soon as I can get my hands on a U-Haul.”

Ashley pushed the sleeves of her sweater up her forearms. “Then we’d better start packing. I’ll go to the U-Haul on Beacon Street. That’s where I got my packing boxes from when I moved in here.” She glanced at her surroundings. “It’s been good, but it’s time for a change.”

Mike felt the same way. Cape Cod wasn’t that far from Boston: he’d still be close enough to visit his parents.

Except I haven’t visited them much this last year.

He knew why, of course. The previous Christmas had pushed a wedge between him and his dad. They weren’t estranged, nothing that serious, but relations had definitely cooled.

Maybe a change of scenery will improve the situation. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, isn’t that what they say?

He couldn’t wait to see what Uncle Nick had left him.

Then he remembered. The bequest came with extras, namely, squatters.

Not for long.

Mike had a new home, and they’d better get the hell out of it.