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Legal Alien in Southern California (Part 7)

"Crazy Chick"

By icyflowsPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 4 min read
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Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash

Mia told all of us that she will be moving out of the apartment, and we will have 2 weeks to find another apartment since the lease is under her brother's name. So I scrambled around, trying to find another apartment. Our apartment has 2 buildings divided into east building and west building.

We lived in the East Building, and Mia always told me how horrible the west building is. She said many criminal activities happened in the west building, and someone even died there before. So, I was worried about hearing all of her stories. But at that point, I just have to find a new apartment and roommates. So, I found out that one of my friends in the ESL (English for Second Language) class is looking for a roommate. Her apartment is located in the west building. So, I thought to myself that I should check her place out since I know her. She is also an international student, but she's from Japan. Let's just call her Keiko.

I don't remember much about her, but one thing for sure is that I always admired her. She has a thick Japanese accent and is a bit hard to understand, but she always has the confidence to speak in front of the class. I envy her confidence. Even though I think I speak better English than her, I was so scared to talk in front of everyone. Not sure why she also reminds me of the Japanese horror movie, The Grudge, because of her jet black long hair and really pale skin color.

So, I talked to her about checking the apartment out, she gave me the time to visit her. But, I'm still a bit apprehensive about going to the West building cause Mia’s stories really get to me.

I went to Keiko's apartment around 9 pm on a Wednesday since that's the only time she has. The west building didn't seem too scary, but the energy seems to shift when I get to Keiko's. She opened the door, and the first thing I noticed is the smell. I think she picked up on it and immediately said that her other roommate has a cat. I saw a lot of brown stains on the carpet. I can't help but think it's from the cat's poop. The apartment wasn't well lit, the only light they have was a yellow light that makes everything looks old. It was giving me a weird vibe. She had a coffee table with no chairs right in front of the door, and she told me to sit down. There are things that she said she needs to explain. Talking to Keiko is pretty hard since she has a thick accent. As a non-native English speaker, it's harder to understand someone with an accent than people think. Some people have said that if you both speak English with an accent, you should understand each other. Which is really ignorant and definitely not the case.

So, I sat down carefully, trying to avoid the brown spots, and really listen to what she has to say. She told me about the cats, which I did not see any of them at all. The rent was a little more expensive than I expected, but Keiko said I will have my own room, which is good. Keiko told me all the rules and stuff, but then she lowered her voice, and her tone turns very serious. She said, "Therre is crratzy cheik heerre".

"In this building?" I asked

"Yesss!! Crraattzzaay cheyck!" ,she said.

I have a very active imagination, so I started to think about Mia's stories.

"Crazy chick? Like crazy as mentally challenge?" I start imagining a crazy lady running around harassing and attacking people in the building.

"NO!!! Crraattzzaay cheyck!! Crraattzzaay cheyck!! You know!"

"How is she crazy? did she harm people in this building?"

I can feel that Keiko is getting frustrated; she left abruptly. I was so confused.

She came back a moment later with paper and pen and starts writing on it. Then, she gave it to me.

"OHHH, A CREDIT CHECK!!" I shouted, starts laughing at myself for my silly imagination.

I'm not sure how that will work with me since I don't have anyone that will co-sign for me. Plus I don't really like the apartment. So, I told her thanks but don't think it's going to work and left.

I start checking other ads on craigslist and finally found an ad that's really promising. I just hope no crazy chick is involved in this one, lol.

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About the Creator

icyflows

People always tell me to write my experience living in another country. I started writing about my life journey. Can’t believe I’ve been living in SoCal for 14 years! It’s been a hell of a ride!

Grateful for all the experiences & blessings.

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