looking past me once or twice, to the couple sitting on the other side of the
aisle. She’s a pretty redhead, about my age, her slender body is otherwise round and bulging in
the middle. She sits with her hand resting lovingly on her pregnant belly, her handsome and
devoted husband seeing to her every need and hanging on her every word.
I look back at Randolph, whose eyes catch my own. We almost speak, but there doesn’t
seem to be any need. We clasp hands, our fingers interlocking as our eyes burn into one
another’s with a growing intensity that I know is more than just a passing feeling. I’m high
above the country with a wonderful man who is opening up whole new worlds to me,
figuratively and literally.
I can’t help but imagine what may come of our time together, how our relationship is likely
to grow. I don’t just fall into bed with a man; not any man, let alone my boss! But things have
happened, and they’re continuing to happen, that seems clear. What they will lead to, however,
is still anybody’s guess.
But watching Randolph watching that family, his fingers cradling mine, even raising my
hand to kiss my fragile knuckles, resting them against his cheek; I’m ready to guess what he’s
thinking.
And I guess I’m thinking the same thing.
The humidity of the rainy Florida summer has passed, and the balmy warmth of winter is a
tropical treat. The air is dewy, but not oppressive.
The best of both worlds.
We spend a few days looking at several big apartment buildings; complexes, really, some
with as many as thirty units. They’re all built in that mid-twentieth century postmodern design;
square and plain, painted pink or yellow or light blue. Cruising down the streets in a rented
Jaguar XK coupe, I feel like I’ve slipped back in time; everywhere I look, it’s the 1950s all over
again.
“A good Florida real estate investment can bring back three-to-four times the investment
capital,” Randolph says, another pearl of wisdom to add to my growing pool of information.
“But it’s gotta be the right buy, an exceptional buy; you’ve got to see it, put eyes on it. Average
buy means average return.”
“Your guy Martin line these up?”
Randolph shakes his head. “Gave me a few numbers, but this is a bit far from his stomping
grounds. I root these out on my own, using the internet, tips from people I knowout here.”
“Spies?”
Randolph smiles a bit. “If you like. Anyway, I make a trip out when the time seems right.
What do you think; about the properties, I mean?”
“You want my opinion?”
“Sure, you’re an up-and-comer in the business. Anyway, think of it asa little test.”
So I give it some thought. There’s a lot to think about, but I don’t want to just sit for ten
minutes reflecting on it like some spacecase. For this little test, I’m going to have to show my
work.
I say, “Well, the big one near the park is filled, but there’s hardly anyone there under fifty.
So they’re not likely to be leaving anytime soon. That’s not great if you wanna raise your rents.”
“Exactly, a steady turnover is good for business. What about the place on Fiesta Way?
Three vacancies there.”
“With a homeless shelter at the end of the block?”
Randolph looks at me with a new respect, a smile that says I may just be acing this little test.
I feel myself smile a bit too.
Randolph says, “What about the condo on the beach? Could rent it out for Spring Break and
make a ton, use it as a getaway the rest of the year.”
“Not really what your investors have in mind, is it?”
“No, I suppose you’re right.”
“You could always just buy nothing,” I say. “No deal at all is better than a bad deal, even in
Florida.”
“ Especially in Florida.” We cruise onward for a few miles further, toward our hotel.
Something catches Randolph’s eye as we pass, and he double-checks his rearview mirror.
“Randolph? What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” he says, parallel parking as he adds, “but
aisle. She’s a pretty redhead, about my age, her slender body is otherwise round and bulging in
the middle. She sits with her hand resting lovingly on her pregnant belly, her handsome and
devoted husband seeing to her every need and hanging on her every word.
I look back at Randolph, whose eyes catch my own. We almost speak, but there doesn’t
seem to be any need. We clasp hands, our fingers interlocking as our eyes burn into one
another’s with a growing intensity that I know is more than just a passing feeling. I’m high
above the country with a wonderful man who is opening up whole new worlds to me,
figuratively and literally.
I can’t help but imagine what may come of our time together, how our relationship is likely
to grow. I don’t just fall into bed with a man; not any man, let alone my boss! But things have
happened, and they’re continuing to happen, that seems clear. What they will lead to, however,
is still anybody’s guess.
But watching Randolph watching that family, his fingers cradling mine, even raising my
hand to kiss my fragile knuckles, resting them against his cheek; I’m ready to guess what he’s
thinking.
And I guess I’m thinking the same thing.
The humidity of the rainy Florida summer has passed, and the balmy warmth of winter is a
tropical treat. The air is dewy, but not oppressive.
The best of both worlds.
We spend a few days looking at several big apartment buildings; complexes, really, some
with as many as thirty units. They’re all built in that mid-twentieth century postmodern design;
square and plain, painted pink or yellow or light blue. Cruising down the streets in a rented
Jaguar XK coupe, I feel like I’ve slipped back in time; everywhere I look, it’s the 1950s all over
again.
“A good Florida real estate investment can bring back three-to-four times the investment
capital,” Randolph says, another pearl of wisdom to add to my growing pool of information.
“But it’s gotta be the right buy, an exceptional buy; you’ve got to see it, put eyes on it. Average
buy means average return.”
“Your guy Martin line these up?”
Randolph shakes his head. “Gave me a few numbers, but this is a bit far from his stomping
grounds. I root these out on my own, using the internet, tips from people I knowout here.”
“Spies?”
Randolph smiles a bit. “If you like. Anyway, I make a trip out when the time seems right.
What do you think; about the properties, I mean?”
“You want my opinion?”
“Sure, you’re an up-and-comer in the business. Anyway, think of it asa little test.”
So I give it some thought. There’s a lot to think about, but I don’t want to just sit for ten
minutes reflecting on it like some spacecase. For this little test, I’m going to have to show my
work.
I say, “Well, the big one near the park is filled, but there’s hardly anyone there under fifty.
So they’re not likely to be leaving anytime soon. That’s not great if you wanna raise your rents.”
“Exactly, a steady turnover is good for business. What about the place on Fiesta Way?
Three vacancies there.”
“With a homeless shelter at the end of the block?”
Randolph looks at me with a new respect, a smile that says I may just be acing this little test.
I feel myself smile a bit too.
Randolph says, “What about the condo on the beach? Could rent it out for Spring Break and
make a ton, use it as a getaway the rest of the year.”
“Not really what your investors have in mind, is it?”
“No, I suppose you’re right.”
“You could always just buy nothing,” I say. “No deal at all is better than a bad deal, even in
Florida.”
“ Especially in Florida.” We cruise onward for a few miles further, toward our hotel.
Something catches Randolph’s eye as we pass, and he double-checks his rearview mirror.
“Randolph? What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” he says, parallel parking as he adds, “but
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