Five
Max nudged the door to his apartment open, ignoring the ring of his phone and humming to himself, as the first refreshing glimpse of the ocean greeted him from his floor-to-ceiling living room windows.
He glided onward into his kitchen, the view opening up even more. Patricia and Tom, the married couple he hired to clean his apartment each week, stood at his counter, a red bucket of cleaning equipment beside them, blue wiping cloths and frosted spray bottles in their hands.
“Hey, Max.” Tom folded his cloth and dropped it into the bucket. “Don’t mind us, we’re wrapping things up now and will be out of your way in a few minutes.”
Max opened his fridge and pulled out filtered water in reusable glass bottles, extending one to Patricia and Tom. They both shook their heads.
Patricia du
