stress

The moving situation is becoming awkward again. The two girls 'Elise was living with have already found a two-bedroom to move into, and will be surrendering the current apartment at the end of the month. The three VISTAs living with M, the house 'Elise hopes to move into, are embroiled in an emotional battle over whether they are obligated to pay a full month’s rent if they are moving out mid-month, and whether they are obligated to M at all, since they never signed any form of contract. Tears have been shed, relationships heavily strained, and by-standers have been randomly dragged into the fray.

'Elise can’t help but identify more with M. Her understanding is that M wanted to go beyond the professionalism of a renter/tenant relationship and actually be friends with K, J and P, and that the “neat-freak” tendencies of the K and J could not be compromised with M's more laid back approach. Working in the same office with K, 'Elise really understands how K's constant complaining about the organization of the bookshelves and the piles of paperwork on 'Elise’s desk show that K is rigidly inflexible about certain things. In other words, 'Elise thinks K complains too much.

'Elise worries that the messy circumstances created by the three VISTAs moving out will transfer to her as she moves in. Will M feel so upset and betrayed that she raises the rent, or refuses to rent to VISTAs anymore? Will she harbor resentment against 'Elise for the rest of the year? Is there a deeper legal undertone to this whole situation; one involving Tenant/Landlord law and verbal contracts? Will 'Elise still have a roof over her head next month, one that won’t force her into bankruptcy? And can she have a cat?