The Good Neighbor

Xander's apartment wasn't like anything Mandy expected. She had imagined all his clothes on the floor, dirty dishes unwashed in the sink, leftover food on the table, filthy smell, messy living room. In other words, she expected a typical man-cave — complete disarray. But no! Xander's place was quite neat — actually, it's VERY neat, even neater than her own apartment.

"Excuse the mess," Xander said as he motioned for Mandy to come inside. He usually say that to every guest who comes to his apartment.

"What mess? This place is immaculate! Do you hire a housekeeper to clean here?"

"Once in a while, but usually, I do the cleaning myself," Xander said as he went to his kitchen. He opened the cupboard to see what he can offer Mandy to eat.

"Unfortunately, I only have instant ramen. I don't usually do groceries," Xander was apologetic. He was good at cleaning and keeping his place neat but he was never good at stocking up on food. He eats before coming home from work and just buy some instant food every now and then for those times when he doesn't feel like going out or for mid-night snacks.

"That will be fine," Mandy replied. She smiled. She was so hungry she could eat paper right now and it would still taste good.

Xander heated water in the electric kettle, flipped the switch on and waited for it to boil. He took the bowl of instant ramen and placed it on the table. Mandy sat at the table and opened the bowl of ramen. She put all the seasonings in.

"Thank you… for the ramen. And for letting me wait here." Mandy's eyes were fixed on the ramen. She felt guilty calling Xander "crazy" earlier.

"No problem. What are neighbors for, right?" Just then, the water began to boil and the kettle switched off. Xander took the kettle and poured freshly boiled water into the bowl. Mandy closed the lid and waited for it to cook. Xander put the kettle back.

Mandy watched Xander. There was something about the way he moved, the way he talked. Like he was schooled from another country. He can even keep his apartment in order. Mandy had never heard or met any guy as neat as Xander.

"May I use your bathroom?" Mandy felt she just had to see Xander's bathroom. They say the bathroom is the true test of a person's cleanliness.

"Sure, just right over there."

Mandy walked to the direction of the bathroom. She felt silly for spying on Xander but she couldn't resist it. She was so curious if he is just keeping the living room as clean for guests or if the whole apartment was as neat. She opened the bathroom door. She immediately smelled the scent of green tea. She flipped on the switch and her jaw dropped. His bathroom is even better than hers! His toiletries were neatly placed on a glass shelf beside the mirror. His bathtub and shower doors were streak-free. His bath robe was neatly hung behind the door with its belt tied to a loose but neat ribbon. His towels were neatly rolled on a stainless shelf. The rugs looked new. Everything was perfect — too perfect. It was almost like nobody actually lived there, like it was used for display only, for people who are interested in buying an apartment and wanted to see what the apartment would look like with all the furnitures in.

Xander's bottles of perfume were inside a glass cabinet. Mandy read the labels. This guy knows his brand!

Mandy snapped out of her spying and quickly washed her hands. She didn't want Xander to get suspicious. She noticed he used those hand soaps that come with foam pumps. She dried her hand with the hand towel that hung under the sink. The towel was so soft she wondered what fabric conditioner he was using.

Mandy went back to the kitchen where she had left Xander. He was still sitting there, looking at his cellphone.

"Did you find what you need?"

The question surprised Mandy. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you find the bathroom."

"Oh. Yeah, I did. You have a really nice place here."

"Thank you. I get that a lot." Xander put down his phone and looked at Mandy as she sat back to her chair at the table.

"Did you like — uhm — have someone do the interior for you? Because honestly, this place is just divine. I wouldn't mind living here." Mandy couldn't stop herself in time. The words had spilled like a knocked-over glass of milk. "I'm sorry, that didn't sound right."

Xander laughed. He was going to say something but he decided to let it go.

"Your ramen should be cooked by now."

Mandy opened her ramen. She saw steam went out. She could smell the delicious aroma of the soup. She picked up the chopsticks Xander put on the table, over a saucer beside a table napkin.

Mandy slurped the noodles. She was so hungry she ate in silence for a couple of minutes. She picked up the bowl and sipped some soup. Xander watched her intently.

Mandy finished the bowl in no time. She sipped her now tasteless Coke. She stirred it with the straw, hoping it would somehow taste better after all the water from the melted ice was mixed with the Coke - it didn't.

"Do you live here alone?" Mandy asked as she took another sip of her Coke.

"Yes," Xander replied as he looked at his phone again.

"And how long have you been living here?"

"A couple of years now." He inputed something on his phone and then put it down again.

"All these years we've been neighbors living across each other… But this is the first time I've seen you."

"I should say the same about you." Xander replied.

Unfortunately for Mandy, Xander was right.

"Where do you work?" Mandy asked again after a few seconds of silence.

"Is this an interrogation?" Xander squinted his eye.

"No, of course not! I'm just curious, that's all."

"Well, stop asking me, then. How about YOU tell me about yourself."

"There's not much to tell, actually. I'm just your ordinary, everyday girl."

"From what I see, nothing about you is ordinary." Xander's tone was serious.

Mandy looked at Xander. It was an awkward moment. She couldn't think of anything to reply so she changed the subject.

"I wonder what's taking the maintenance so long." She looked at the clock in Xander's kitchen. It's been 40 minutes since she called him and he said he'll be there in just 30.

"I hope he would get here, it's getting late."

Xander's phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi," said the man on the other end. "You called me earlier to open your door… And I was on my way there but my car broke down and I can't get a cab. Is it okay if I just come by early tomorrow morning to take care of your door. I'm really sorry."

Xander looked over at Mandy before answering, "Sure, no problem. Just make sure you come as early as you can. Thank you." And then he hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" Mandy asked, although she had a good guess who it was.

"The maintenance. He said he can't come because his car broke and he can't get a cab. He'll come early tomorrow morning."

"NO! He can't do that! I need to get in my apartment!" Mandy stood so fast she knocked down the chair she was sitting on.

"Relax, you can sleep here for the night."

"What? I won't sleep in a stranger's apartment!" Mandy saw Xander's reaction and she immediately regretted saying it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I mean, thank you for feeding me but I can't sleep here tonight. I need to go home." Mandy was close to crying.

"I know. But the maintenance can't come here. You don't have money with you to sleep in a hotel. I'm your next best plan."

She remembered her dad. Maybe she can call her dad to pick her up and she can sleep there for the night. But her dad's house is a good one hour away — at least. Maybe sleeping over at Xander's is the next best plan. She also didn't have her friends' numbers because she left her mobile phone in her apartment, too, so she can't call anybody to pick her up.

She thought about it. Xander was just looking at her, waiting for her answer.

"Xander, I…" Mandy began.

"I won't take no for an answer. Unless you can call somebody to pick you up here, I won't let you go out in mismatched flip flops." Xander smiled. "Don't worry. I'm absolutely, completely harmless. Trust me, even if I am still a stranger after you ate my instant ramen and used my bathroom."

Mandy laughed. She took a deep breath. This has been a crazy, crazy night.

"All right, but I sleep on the couch." Mandy insisted.

"Of course. I wouldn't want a stranger sleeping on my bed." Xander smiled as he went to his bedroom to get pillows and a blanket for Mandy.