May 10 202X

21:02

@sansan4ever: hey @modthebod, you heard anything about Sandra yet? Getting a little bored here trawling old pics.

@modthebod: Maybe.

@sansan4ever: ? What do you mean by that?

@modthebod: Not sure yet. Getting some info but I’ll let you guys know, don’t worry.

21:25

@mr-drake: yo man, you better not keep us in the dark @modthebod. don’t be keeping Sandra all to yourselfs.

21:27

@modthebod: You don’t like how I deal with stuff, then fuck off @mr-drake.

 ~ ~ ~

Sandra’s breath hitched as she rounded the corner in her rented car. After almost twenty years, the old neighborhood still looked exactly the way she remembered it. Identical two-storey houses lined the road and her house sat at the very end of it.

It was almost dinner-time, so most people were inside, but Sandra brought her car to a crawl in case any children darted out of the doors. She took her time looking around, noticing the newly-tarred road and the abundance of toys scattered in many of the front yards. Her quaint neighborhood had definitely grown in size and by the looks of it, was much better maintained

As she neared the end of the street, her eyes settled on her second childhood home. The white paint was peeling in places but the house didn’t look as decrepit as she thought it would. There was grass in the front yard - that was a good change. All in all, it looked almost the same as when she had left it.

According to the current landowner, he’d only rented it out twice over the course of the years. The previous tenant had taken care of it quite well, so there wasn’t much need for maintenance. Not many people came to the small town, so he had been happy to rent the house out to Sandra, especially when he found out who she was.

Or had been, she mused bitterly. At least her ex-celebrity status had earned her a discount. Who knew the landowner would turn out to be a fan? She allowed herself a little smile at the thought of her far-reaching fame.

She slowed to a stop, turned off the engine, and stepped out of the car with her purse. The front gate wasn’t automated, so she reached into the designer clutch bag and fished out the keys. As she fumbled with the lock, not getting the right key the first time, a hoarse voice made her jump.

“What are you doing? Are you a thief?”

Sandra looked up to see an elderly woman squinting at her through a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. With her frizzy white hair and baggy blouse and plants that clung to her thin frame, the woman looked like a witch out of a children’s movie.

“Oh no,” Sandra laughed. “I’m the new tenant here. Still trying to figure out which key is which.”

Met with silence, her laughter trailed off awkwardly. She cleared her throat and extended a hand. “I’m Sandra by the way. Nice to meet you.”

The old woman eyed her but did not take her hand. “Dina,” she said after a long pause.

“Nice to meet you, Dina.” Sandra smiled as she retracted her hand and wiped it on her short pencil skirt.

Not sure how to proceed with the conversation, she pointed a finger towards the house. “Well umm, I guess I’d better be going.”

“You know,” Dina interrupted before Sandra could even take a step. “The previous tenants were always so noisy.”

The odd bit of information was so out of the blue that Sandra could only look blankly at Dina. When she didn’t respond, the old woman jabbered on.

“Always yelling at the top of their voices, you know. Always quarreling with each other. That’s why they ended up in a divorce, of course.”

Sandra pursed her lips and her eyes narrowed. Gossip and gossipmongers were near the top of the list of things she hated. She folded her arms and said, “Okay, so what’s your point?”

The old woman bristled and regarded Sandra with contempt. “Well, I just wanted to warn you that I don’t take kindly to any loud noises. I’m a light sleeper and it is absolutely horrible to be woken up in the middle of the night. So preferably no late-night parties or trysts with boyfriends or-”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Sandra cut in sharply as her fingers wrapped around the right key, having identified it by feeling the ridges along its edge. “I won’t be around much.”

She jammed the key into the lock and this time, it gave way easily. As she opened the gate, she turned to Dina and gave a sarcastic smile. “Oh, and by the way, I’m single.”

Not bothering to wait for a reply, she walked back to her car, got in, and slammed the door as hard as she could. A look in her windshield showed a seething Dina with her cheeks stained red in fury. Satisfied and smug, Sandra gave a small wave before starting the engine and driving into her garage. By the time she exited her car and approached the gate to lock it back up, Dina was nowhere to be seen.

“Good riddance,” she mumbled to herself before securing the gate and heading back in.

Well, that was a warm welcome.