Chapter 3

I set the agreement down on the coffee table and pointed to the spare bedroom.

I said, "This will be your room. It faces south and comes with a balcony, so you'll get plenty of sunlight.

"The rent here is a thousand dollars per month. You'll have to pay one month deposit and three months upfront.

"Utilities—water, electricity, internet, and gas—are split per person, and we'll settle up each month."

"Oh, and by the way," I said as I turned to the last page of the agreement and pointed to the chart. "This is the chore schedule—dishes, mopping, taking out…