If had been a very strange month for Mike Gentry, a fact he was still musing about in his head as he walked through the door. The building was fairly nondescript, even a bit worn down, very few comforting amenities or things to make you feel more at ease as he walked through the door, and took his place in line. He was an oddity in this lineup; everyone else here seemed to be much older then him, more down on their luck. They were in here looking for handouts, and comfortably clad in black jeans, a white t-shirt, and dark green jacket, Mike was looking for none of those things.
He was here to help. A statement that sounded strange, even to him, but the last month in of itself had been fairly odd. He looked around hesitantly, in unfamiliar surroundings, but someone with a clipboard approached him, apparently sensing his unease. A woman, probably thirty five or forty, with short red hair, looked at him curiously.
"Hi there. Are you here for aid, or..." She'd started to tilt her head as he responded.
"No. I'm here about the housing program. I've, um...got a spot for someone."
"Great! Over here, then." Mike followed her away from the lineup (which led to a table manned by three staffers) to another desk, where another woman sat; a stern faced brunette, pen in hand, who nodded at Mike to sit down.
"Name, please?"
"Mike Gentry."
"Age?"
"Twenty five."
"Address?"
And so on it went. There were a lot of people who needed help after the earthquake, although Mike was far from one of them. If anything, he would almost have remained indifferent to it. Not that he wouldn't have donated, or even volunteered a time or two to clean up. But it wasn't his nature to throw himself right at a disaster to be mister goody goody. He was a decent person, and not normally a good one unless the situation truly called for it. Earthquakes were not that frequent around here, but the were a danger. And this one, while the harshest one they'd seen in a long time, had not stirred Mike's altruistic spirit.
No, there was self interest in this one for him, too, a fact he didn't manage to hide from Danielle, the worker who was getting his details as she asked him why he was volunteering his home to shelter someone who'd lost their home in the earthquake. "Well, my roommate moved out recently, and I hadn't gotten anyone else to move in yet, so I figured I'd lend a hand." He breathed in without realizing it, but it wasn't necessary for any kind of deception here. If Danielle was bothered by anything Mike had said, she didn't show it.
"Mmmhmm. And how big is the space you'll be offering?" She asked while barely looking up.
"One bedroom." He replied quickly. "Obviously, they'll have access to everything they need, shower, kitchen, whatever...but those would be shared." Mike was a little unsettled by Danielle's seemingly cold nature, not realizing that she was just trying to get through this as quickly as possible so she could help the next person; maybe someone who actually needed it.
"Mmmhmm." A moment, as she scribbled down a couple of other things before meeting his gaze squarely. "Gender preference?"
A beat passed, as Mike thought about his last roommate. Brittany and him had gotten along reasonably well; different social circles, different working hours (his were all across the map with his job, where she was always out evenings and some nights), but she'd paid the rent, fair and square. Her departure had been a little hasty, with a few things left behind, but he'd always been able to count on her for her share of rent, utilities, and groceries. Which was more then could be said of the candidates he'd interviewed so far...
If he was accepted to take in someone who had been made homeless by the earthquake, then the government would pay him to have someone live there. It wouldn't be perfect, but to him it was far better to have money he could count on rather then hoping the right roommate came along.
"None." He quickly replied, before realizing something and leaning in. "Although...can you make sure I don't get a family?" He whispered, seeing Danielle's hard gaze on him; he almost wilted back, but steeled himself. "I mean..I don't really have room for one. It'd be better if...you know...they ended up somewhere else." A moment passed, and Mike could swear that Danielle was trying to make him disappear with her gaze before she simply scrawled something on the sheet where his details were, and he could make out the words:
SINGLES ONLY
Whew. he thought to himself, wiping his brow. He could live with the judgment of one charity worker as long as he got the subsidy. That was assuming they found someone suitable for living with him, anyways.
Shortly after, he left with a copy of the form in hand. He was due at work an hour later, and lost in the busyness of setting up lights, cameras, and backing, he stopped thinking about who they might send...
He was here to help. A statement that sounded strange, even to him, but the last month in of itself had been fairly odd. He looked around hesitantly, in unfamiliar surroundings, but someone with a clipboard approached him, apparently sensing his unease. A woman, probably thirty five or forty, with short red hair, looked at him curiously.
"Hi there. Are you here for aid, or..." She'd started to tilt her head as he responded.
"No. I'm here about the housing program. I've, um...got a spot for someone."
"Great! Over here, then." Mike followed her away from the lineup (which led to a table manned by three staffers) to another desk, where another woman sat; a stern faced brunette, pen in hand, who nodded at Mike to sit down.
"Name, please?"
"Mike Gentry."
"Age?"
"Twenty five."
"Address?"
And so on it went. There were a lot of people who needed help after the earthquake, although Mike was far from one of them. If anything, he would almost have remained indifferent to it. Not that he wouldn't have donated, or even volunteered a time or two to clean up. But it wasn't his nature to throw himself right at a disaster to be mister goody goody. He was a decent person, and not normally a good one unless the situation truly called for it. Earthquakes were not that frequent around here, but the were a danger. And this one, while the harshest one they'd seen in a long time, had not stirred Mike's altruistic spirit.
No, there was self interest in this one for him, too, a fact he didn't manage to hide from Danielle, the worker who was getting his details as she asked him why he was volunteering his home to shelter someone who'd lost their home in the earthquake. "Well, my roommate moved out recently, and I hadn't gotten anyone else to move in yet, so I figured I'd lend a hand." He breathed in without realizing it, but it wasn't necessary for any kind of deception here. If Danielle was bothered by anything Mike had said, she didn't show it.
"Mmmhmm. And how big is the space you'll be offering?" She asked while barely looking up.
"One bedroom." He replied quickly. "Obviously, they'll have access to everything they need, shower, kitchen, whatever...but those would be shared." Mike was a little unsettled by Danielle's seemingly cold nature, not realizing that she was just trying to get through this as quickly as possible so she could help the next person; maybe someone who actually needed it.
"Mmmhmm." A moment, as she scribbled down a couple of other things before meeting his gaze squarely. "Gender preference?"
A beat passed, as Mike thought about his last roommate. Brittany and him had gotten along reasonably well; different social circles, different working hours (his were all across the map with his job, where she was always out evenings and some nights), but she'd paid the rent, fair and square. Her departure had been a little hasty, with a few things left behind, but he'd always been able to count on her for her share of rent, utilities, and groceries. Which was more then could be said of the candidates he'd interviewed so far...
If he was accepted to take in someone who had been made homeless by the earthquake, then the government would pay him to have someone live there. It wouldn't be perfect, but to him it was far better to have money he could count on rather then hoping the right roommate came along.
"None." He quickly replied, before realizing something and leaning in. "Although...can you make sure I don't get a family?" He whispered, seeing Danielle's hard gaze on him; he almost wilted back, but steeled himself. "I mean..I don't really have room for one. It'd be better if...you know...they ended up somewhere else." A moment passed, and Mike could swear that Danielle was trying to make him disappear with her gaze before she simply scrawled something on the sheet where his details were, and he could make out the words:
SINGLES ONLY
Whew. he thought to himself, wiping his brow. He could live with the judgment of one charity worker as long as he got the subsidy. That was assuming they found someone suitable for living with him, anyways.
Shortly after, he left with a copy of the form in hand. He was due at work an hour later, and lost in the busyness of setting up lights, cameras, and backing, he stopped thinking about who they might send...