A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about why I started looking for my FIFTH flat since coming to Prague just six months ago.  You can read about it here.  I really hadn't planned on moving again this soon even though I've been less than thrilled with my current living situation.  I've gotten so tired of moving that I thought I would just tough it out at least until next summer.  But just as things were getting really weird around here, a golden opportunity seemed to fall into my lap.

I got an email from Ms. L telling me that she had found a great flat in the most happening part of Prague for only about half of what I'm paying here.  And she said that the Czech woman who lived in the flat was really great and was going to hold the flat for her until January 1, but she had decided to stay in the Crow's Nest, and asked if I was interested.  I thought I owed it to myself to, at least, check it out, so I wrote back that I was interested and asked her why she hadn't taken it for herself.

She said that she had worked things out with Pegleg, and that Sinbad was moving out, so for now, anyway, she was going to stay where she was.  I just shook my head.  All the things that bother her about living in the Crow's Nest are the things that I liked the best about living there.  For example, it really bugs her when Sinbad hangs out there a lot, and it really bugged me when he didn't.  :)  I wished she would just take that other flat and let me move back in with Pegleg!

Anyway, she gave me the phone number for the new flat, and I tried to send a message, but there was an extra digit in the number she gave me, so it didn't work.. I tried leaving off the last digit, but that didn't work either.  I asked Ms. L about it, but she insisted that that was the way the number showed up on her phone, and said that she would ask the woman to get in touch with me. 

Meanwhile, I'd really worked up a sense of need for getting myself into a new flat, preferably by the 1st of the year, because my friend, Lolita, from Spain was coming to visit for nearly a week on the 3rd, and with the Fugitive acting so weird, it could be a very uncomfortable visit.  I didn't even want to tell him about her visit.. that's how weird he'd been acting lately. 

I didn't know if I could count on this woman getting in touch with me, so, I started answering ads for flatshares and even put up my own.  I saw lots of places, but I wasn't going to move again unless I found something that cost significantly less than what I'm paying now, and had everything I needed.  Most of the places I saw fell short on one or more counts, and then, I found the perfect place!

This flat was in a beautifully restored (or preserved) antique building... a rare find in Prague.   Many places are beautifully antique on the outside, but most have been gutted and completely updated on the inside.... i.e., all the old world charm has been taken out. 

This flat had natural wood parquet floors throughout, lots of beautiful, dark wood trim... it was furnished with dark wooden antiques, and the woman who lived there was a stained glass artist (something I've always wanted to learn how to do), and her work was hanging all over the house, including the shelving in the bathroom.   Her decorating taste was exquisite... sea shells lining the bathtub, etc.  It was easily the most beautiful flat I have seen in Prague... perhaps anywhere. 

To add to the appeal, she had two very friendly cats (I have been suffering from cat withdrawal for nearly three years now), and she was a Reiki master... something I've been wanting to learn.  We sat down over a cup of tea and chatted and I felt that we got along pretty well.  She was a little out of sorts with the flu, but in spite of that, she was pretty friendly.  She told me that she had promised to let two other women see the place in the next two days, and then she would make her decision.  She gave me a copy of the rental agreement, so I could have a Czech friend look it over and translate it for me.

I went home thinking I would just die if I didn't get to live in that flat.  But something told me that I wasn't going to get it.  Maybe just because I wanted it so badly. 

A couple of hours later, I got an SMS from her.  She told me that she had just had a long phone conversation with an old friend and she had promised the room to her.   She added that, if I wanted to come on a Wednesday night for Reiki treatments, the first one would be free.   I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I was.  And what is it, I thought, with all these people who suddenly have a friend or relative that needs a room right at the crucial moment, after they've been advertising the place?  It's happened to me on several occasions.  Seriously.

So, I began to think it was just something that people say in order to avoid saying that they preferred one of the other applicants.  Normally, I would just forget about it.  I mean, what can you do.  The decision is theirs.  But this was someone that I thought about keeping in touch with, to learn Reiki and maybe even to have her teach me to do stained glass art.  So, I really wanted to know if she was being honest with me or not.

So, I did something dishonest.  I have several email addresses.  From a different email address than the one that I used to contact her initially, I sent an inquiry about the flat, pretending to be a university student from Thailand, studying in Prague.  I even embellished with broken English.  If she answered saying that the room was taken, then I'd know she was telling the truth.  If she said that it was available, I'd know she'd been lying, and that maybe my age had been a factor, in which case, I probably wouldn't want to pursue a friendship with her.

I sent that email out late at night when I was really tired, and in the morning, a terrifying thought occurred to me.  Even though the email address I used for that email is really different from the one that she knows me by, I forgot that my real name would show up next to my email address when she got it.  In other words, she would know that it was me!

I felt a sickening wave of nausea at having been found out.  There was nothing to do but fess up and apologize.  I wrote a brief email and told her why I had sent that email, and I apologized for it and said that I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to have anything to do with me.  I felt like a real idiot.

She wrote back asking what I was apologizing for.  Her computer had broken down, and she hadn't gotten that email!  Now, I really, really felt like an idiot.  And, of course, I had to explain it all over again from the beginning.  Needless to say, I didn’t hear from her after that. 

Then, one day, Ms. L sent a message with the corrected version of the phone number for the flat she wanted me to see.  It came when I was just about to leave for Olomouc to spend a few days over Christmas, so I put off making the call until I was on the train on the way back to Prague.  The answer came back while I was still on the train.  I could come to see the flat either the following morning before she left for a trip to the mountains, or I could wait until after the 1st when she would be back.  I got an appointment for the following morning.  I was still thinking I could move out before the first.

I got up early to make the appointment, but as I was eating breakfast, I got a text message, saying that we had to postpone the appointment, because there had been a change in travel plans, and she had to leave earlier than anticipated.  I was beginning to think that I was never going to get to see this place.

Meanwhile, January was fast approaching, and I had to tell the Fugitive about Lolita’s visit, because it was apparent that I wasn’t going to be able to move before the 1st.  I braced myself for any shit he might give me about it.  I figured I’d just tell him,

“Look, she’s already got her plane ticket, and she’s coming.  Period.  I pay as much rent as you do, and I expect to be able to lead a normal life…bla, blah, blah.”

But, I didn’t have to go into all that, because he didn’t react to the news one way or the other.  You see how I work myself up into a tizzy over nothing sometimes?  And since Lolita’s visit was no longer an issue, I relaxed with my flat search and decided that I would probably just stay on until spring unless something really great came along.  I was even beginning to hope that nothing really great would come along, because I wasn’t feeling much energy for moving.  I was getting ready to start my new job and go through the visa application process, and it just all felt so overwhelming.  So, my plan was just to keep the couple of appointments I had already made to see some flats and try to see Ms. L’s pick when the woman came back from her ski trip, and if nothing worked out, I would just hang loose.

On the second, I contacted the woman thinking she would be home from her ski trip, and she texted back, saying that her trip had been extended, but she’d be able to meet me on the third, anytime I wanted.  We made an appointment for the early morning, but I was getting a little nervous, because I still hadn’t paid my rent for January.  I didn’t want to pay rent to the Fugitive if I was going to have to move into a new place right away.  And even if I was going to move in February, I would want to use my deposit for my last month’s rent, because I didn’t really trust the Fugitive to give it back to me.  All I could do was just avoid running into the Fugitive until I knew what I was going to do, so he wouldn’t ask me for the rent. 

I still had two other places to see on the second.  The first place was in a great neighborhood, but the flat was dismal.  At the second one, the guy never answered the doorbell or his phone.  I went home that night ready to give it all up.

The next morning, I went to keep my appointment and finally met this woman that I’d been trying to meet for the last month.  I’ll call her Fanny Farmer (Fanny for short).  She was friendly and welcoming right from the beginning.  The flat was fine.  It needs a little work, but it was clean and functional and had all the necessities.  She was very open to my suggestions on how to decorate it, and described the furniture she was going to put in “my” room. 

We got to talking about this and that over a cup of tea and some Christmas cake, and found out that we have a lot in common.  She used to be a French teacher (we share a passion for languages), but now she spends most of her time working on her family’s farm in the country.  In the winter, she’s home more, but when the weather’s nice, she’s spends about half of her time living on the farm (a good balance between privacy and company for me).  She’s very interested in learning about organic farming.  (I used to do volunteer work on organic farms and, in fact, was planning on spending my life doing that). 

I also brought up the idea of intentional community which I’ve been looking into for a number of years, and she told me that she lived in an intentional community in the U.S. for two years, and she loved it.  She told me a lot about the history of life in the Czech Republic both during and right after the communist era.  It was fascinating.  The conversation flowed easily and comfortably.  We talked about taking a trip to Slovakia together to find my roots.

Before I knew it, three hours had passed, and I would have stayed there talking for even longer, but I had to dash out to the airport to pick up Lolita.  I put a deposit down on the flat and left for the airport.  On the way, I texted Ms. L that I had rented the room in Fanny’s flat and thanked her for tipping me off. 

I had been expecting to have time to stop off at home before picking Lolita up at the airport, so I could give my notice to the Fugitive, but now, there wasn’t going to be time.  I would have to tell him later, while Lolita was there.  I hoped he wouldn’t make a scene. 

When Lolita and I got back to the Winter Palace, the Fugitive was out, and she and I left right away to go teahouse hopping.  We didn’t get back until late, so I didn’t get to talk to him until the next day.  He took the news rather well….kind of like, nothing surprises him anymore.  But he insisted that he never said I could use my deposit for the last month’s rent.  He did.  But he made me pay rent for January, so I’m going to be at his mercy at the end of the month. 

Anyway, I’ve been so happy thinking about all the wonderful changes that are coming up in my life… new job… work visa… new flat… new flatmate… continuing with acting classes…   everything is looking up.  It felt great to finally have things settled.  I’d been up in the air for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like to walk on solid ground.

Well, whenever everything seems to be set in stone, that’s when things usually change.  So, of course… I got an SMS from Ms. L..

“So, you’re moving to Fanny’s.  Would you be interested in swapping at some point?  I’ve had it with Pegleg.  I suppose it’s too late now.  I just decided this morning.”

Oh, lord.  How did I just know this was going to happen?  I’d been holding my breath for four months, hoping for the opportunity to move back in with Pegleg, and I never thought it would happen.  Or more accurately, I thought it would never happen until I was in a situation where I couldn’t take advantage of it.  Well, I thought, it wasn’t too late.  If Fanny was open to the change, I could still switch with Ms. L.  I hadn’t moved anyting over there yet. 

But I really wanted to live with Fanny.  I wanted to explore a friendship with her, and that wasn’t as likely to happen if I didn’t move in.  But I really wanted to live with Pegleg, too… and Sinbad!  Sexy Sinbad.  

I was so torn between the two choices.  I began trying to make comparisons.  Was there really a right choice?  How could I be presented with two such tempting offers at the same time? 

I liked both Fanny and Pegleg, and they both liked me, but Fanny would be more available both for conversation and outings.  Pegleg would be glued to his computer most of the time.  They’re both fairly independent.  They both have about the same level of housekeeping.  The rent is exactly the same at both places.  The internet connection at Pegleg’s is too slow for my liking, and Fanny said her connection is fast enough to watch YouTube.  Pegleg has Sinbad, Fanny doesn’t.

 Pegleg’s flat is in a good location for my early morning classes… less than a ten minute commute.  Fanny’s flat is in a good location for my afternoon classes and is within walking distance from my school and from my favorite café and restaurant.  Fanny’s place has much more public transportation available.  In Pegleg’s neighborhood, I can go to my favorite Vietnamese stores and visit with my favorite Vietnamese shopkeeper. 

The choice just wasn’t clear, but something told me I was being tested, and that I shouldn’t throw away the chance to live with someone that I had so much in common with (Fanny).  Then again, I remember how excited I had been about moving in with the Fugitive because of our similar political interests and our backgrounds in environmental science.  And boy, had I ever been wrong about that one!  At least with Pegleg, I knew I’d be happy.  I’d been happier living with him than I’d been in years. 

I wrote a non-committal email back to Ms. L, more or less saying that I might be open to a swap at some point in the future, but that I would probably stick with Fanny’s place for now.  At the same time, I wrote to Fanny and told her how much I had enjoyed talking to her and how I was looking forward to moving in.  She wrote back saying that she had also enjoyed our talk and was looking forward to getting to know me better.  She also mentioned that Ms. L had contacted her (that’s how Ms. L found out about me renting the flat… she hadn’t received my SMS thanking her for the tip).  She said it was too bad there wasn’t room for all three of us.  It would have been fun.  She also asked me if I was interested in going skiing with her. 

The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that I should stay on track and move in with Fanny.  Ms. L answered my email and told me to go ahead (move in with Fanny), and she had just been being spontaneous, because she had another run-in with Sinbad (he criticized the way she loaded the dishwasher and told her she should buy more cups).  But now, she’d gotten things worked out again, and she was feeling okay about everything… for the time being.

We made plans to get together this weekend, and I went over to her flat tonight.  We talked about our mutual housing situation, and I told her that it was a tough decision for me, but it felt like a “destiny thing” with Fanny.  But I added that anytime she was getting fed up with Pegleg and Sinbad, she should call me up and see if I want to swap places for a week.  That way, she could get a break from them and hang out with Fanny, and I could visit with Pegleg and Sinbad, shop in my Vietnamese shops, have easy access to my morning classes, and watch her TV (I don’t have one).  She liked that idea very much, and so do I. 

Pegleg came out of his room to fix dinner, so I got to visit with him for a while.  He was looking awfully good tonight for some reason.  More talkative than usual, too.  While he was eating, we all went into his room to watch some videos on the computer, including that famous tribute to MissMimi (a YouTube video where Beaker from the Muppets sings “Feelings).  We saw some other comedy videos and had a good laugh, Pegleg comfortably leaning against me as usual. 

After that, Pegleg went back to his computer games… his friends were waiting for him online… and Ms. L and I went back and chatted for a while before I headed home.  It had felt good to be in the Crow’s Nest again, visiting with Pegleg.  I could very easily live there.  I know that.  But, as usual, I want to have my cake and eat it, too.  Maybe this time, I can.  And you never know, perhaps, one day, I will once again join Captain Pegleg’s crew in the Crow’s Nest.  

Ahoj, Maties!