“What is it?”
She stuck out her cane and poked me with it. “Hey. Stop asking questions. All will be revealed. It’s an envelope. On the bedside table. Bring it in here.”
There were clothes all over the bed and floor. Inside the closet, empty hangers hung from a metal rod that stretched from one side to the other. There was an envelope on the bedside table and on it AK47’s handwriting said ZELDA.
I brought it to AK47, who said to open it.
The envelope wasn’t licked closed, so all I had to do was pull the flap. Inside there were some folded papers, and when I unfolded them I saw a key attached to the front one with Scotch tape.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” AK47 said, stretching out her hand for the papers and the key, which she pulled off and handed to me. “This is the key to my apartment. I’m going to have to get another one made for the front door, but for now there’s a code you can memorize. It’s not too hard but it works on the front door. It’s written here.” She held up the papers and tapped the top corner, where she had written 2-6-0-8. “Now, these papers here.” She flipped the pages over. “There’s a place down here where you need to sign.”
“Sign?”
“Correct. Your signature. The one you’ve been practicing.”
I told her I didn’t understand. AK47 leaned forward, and I leaned forward so that our faces were almost touching.
“These papers will transfer the lease to you. I’ve cleared it with the super of the building. He knows you’ll be taking over the apartment for me. You’ll need to get him a copy of a pay stub from the library, showing that you have an income, but you’ll be able to afford it. I’ve paid the next few months in advance already, so that should give you time to get used to paying the bills. Electricity is covered, Internet isn’t. I’ve sent you an e-mail with the details, but for the most part, you’ll sort it out.”
I sat back and stared at her, then at the apartment, which was very big all of a sudden.
“What does Gert think?” I said.
“To quote my favorite person in the world, which would be you: Gert is not part of this legend. I want you to have the apartment, not you and Gert.”
“Why would it not be for Gert too?”
She put her arms behind her head and sank into the couch. “You know, I had a lot of time to think. About what happened back there, about how you saved me, and how hairy things got with that scumbag.”
I looked at my hands. “I still have dreams sometimes about him.”
“God, Zee, me too. And it’s not fair. None of it is fair. But here’s what I think. You’ve been cleaning up Gert’s messes for long enough.”
“I don’t clean up any of his messes,” I said. “He’s very clean.”
“I don’t mean literally. I mean in life.” She sighed. “You can’t save a person who doesn’t want to be saved. God knows I’ve tried to save him. And you have too. Sometimes the people we love are also the monsters, the—what do you call them? The Grendels?”
“Gert isn’t a Grendel.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But he’s not going to be good for you, or good for anybody, until he’s found himself.”
I turned the key over and over in my hand. It was silver and bright and as I turned it light from the metal shone on the walls and ceiling.
“He needs to write his own legend,” I said.
AK47 smiled. “Exactly.”
“I don’t know if I can have my own apartment.”
AK47 stood up, using the arm of the couch for balance. “Why not? You can always call me, and I’ve already told Big Todd, who is going to set up check-ins and help. Plus Dr. Laird. Besides, I might come back in a week and throw a wrench in this whole plan.” She held out her fist. “The point is you’re willing to give it a try. That’s what makes someone a legend.”
I said I needed some time to think about it. “When are you leaving?”
AK47 stood by her suitcases. “I’d say about now.”
I wanted to stop her from leaving, but I didn’t. She was crossing things off of her own list of things she needed to do.
We hugged and she walked out and I stood at the door. She got on the elevator and held up her fist, and I held up my fist, and from across the hallway we did a dab, even though we were too far for our fists to actually touch.
chapter thirty-seven
Every Viking home needs to be blessed, and the best way to do a blessing is to celebrate the home with all of your friends. Hamsa came, and Yoda too. Hamsa brought his uncle, who wished me a happy home and did a thing with his hands in prayer.
Marxy and Sarah-Beth came to the party together, which did not make me mad. I was very happy for them. Marxy had found someone who understood him and loved him.
His mother hugged me too. “I know your mom’s not around, but I think she’d be proud of you.” She brought me a special Norse rune to protect the house. “You’re supposed to put it by the door. Good luck and all that.” She stopped by the letter from Dr. Kepple, which I had printed out and hung on the wall and put in a picture frame, which you can get from the Dollar Barn for a dollar and fifty cents.
“That is very special,” I said, standing beside her. “That is from Dr. Kepple, who is an expert on Vikings. People think that only men can be powerful Vikings, but they’re wrong. Women like us can be powerful too.”
Pearl smiled. “We definitely can be powerful, Zelda.”
Big Todd brought his boyfriend and helped me with the Internet bill and showed me how to create an automatic deduction for the rent to come out. Carol from the library also came. She brought two bookends so that when I started my own library, they could sit on the ends of the books and stop them from falling over.
I also invited the Viking stripper from my birthday party, who it turns out was gay and who Big Todd and Noah thought was super hot.
I showed them my Viking sword, and a new outfit that I had ordered from the Internet that was for female Vikings.
Dr. Laird came too, which I did not expect. He hadn’t responded to my e-mail inviting him.
“You came,” I said.
He was wearing his big coat and he had his wife with him. I knew it was his wife from the pictures on his desk.
“I thought I’d make an appearance.” He looked around at everyone else at the party and smiled. He introduced his wife, who shook my hand and said it was an honor to meet me. I told her it was an honor to meet her.
“This is a nice place,” Dr. Laird said.
“Thanks,” I said.
He asked if Gert was there, and I said he was invited but hadn’t come.
Yoda came over with a drink for Dr. Laird and his wife. “I am the official drink-bringer,” he said. “And if you would like me to take your coats.” He held out his arms and took the coats to the bedroom, where the coats of everyone who came were on the bed.
“Do you think Gert will come?” I asked Dr. Laird.
“Maybe,” he said. “Maybe not. But even if he doesn’t, you’ve done a very good thing. I’m proud of you.”
He said he wanted to talk to me alone, and his wife gave him a kiss on the cheek and told him that she was going to use the ladies’ room.