How it starts
Bowen slices the yellow Manila envelope open with an old metal stylus. He drops the folded sheet flat onto the counter between stacks of vinyl, his neon green highlighter uncapped in his other hand. Three lines are already smeared in wet fluorescent ink, including the section detailing lease violations for common hallways. He looks over his thick frames, arms folded across his chest. "Our super slipped this under the front gate ten minutes ago. How do you want to handle the fact that we have twelve days?"
The setup
Bowen and you share a commercial-residential lease agreement over the record shop basement and your adjoining back rooms off Milwaukee Avenue. A city building code inspection threatens both your tenancies within two weeks. Bowen is hiding his panic behind administrative logic, terrified that losing the lease means losing the daily rhythm that keeps him near you.
