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She reached her floor first and bade him goodbye after thanking him for his help holding the bags. He thanked her in turn for helping him with the door and everything else. She first thought of him as a bum, then a weirdo and finally, after chatting with him on the way up in the elevator, it turned out he was just a bright young kid filled with dreams and hopes. She wondered if she should help him settle in by having for diner some day then shook her head. Her little daughter would make a fuss if she did. Still, this new neighbor was entertaining.

Ron Morgensen was now alone in the elevator. He was on his way to the 123th floor out of 240. The top floors higher than the clouds were reserved for those with more money and the lady told him the apartments there were nothing like those they lived in. He hoped that one day he could afford to live in such a place, the view would probably be incredible.

According to the lady, the floors from the 1st to the 60th were for the middle-class and neither big or small. Those where they lived, from the 61th to the 180th were for the poorer ones. They were not high enough to have a good view and often ended up at the level of the flying cars. Also, they were high to the point that it took some time for the elevator to get there.

Those from the upper floors didn't need to use the elevators as they supposedly had their own 'garage' next to the apartment. Flying cars did fly. So much he dreamt of getting…

He reached the 123th floor and the elevator doors open to a simple corridor. There were ten doors on each side for a total of, obviously, ten apartments. His was at the far end, on the left side. Number 123/10.

He walked up to the door and didn't see any door knob. He noticed the mechanical contraption on the side, just like at the entrance. He placed his hand then showed his eyes to the camera by looking into it. And the door opened by moving sideways into the wall. There was no sound though. Probably so that it wouldn't disturb the neighbors.

He entered and the room lit up. There was already all the furniture required and it was a four-room apartment. It had a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a bedroom. As he explored, he couldn't help having a giant grin on his face.

This was his home.

This was his home!

He ran around excitedly pumping his fist in the air. As he calmed down, he noticed some noise coming from outside, on the opposite side of the entrance. He walked towards the single big window and looked through. Yup, flying cars. As he expected. It wasn't cheap for no reasons. But that was better this way. He had a good place to settle in for cheap. As for the noise, he had lived in a mine, what were a few cars?

He dropped his bag in the bedroom and went to the bathroom. He didn't fear being stolen from. You would have to be a madman to attempt stealing in this kind of mechanized city. There would be no ways to escape.

He felt safe.

And so, he did what he had dreamt of since long ago, he took a warm bath. It was the first time he ever had a warm bath. Since he could remember, even before being sent to the mines, he was only allowed to shower with cold water or lukewarm water. Never had he dropped himself in hot water, hot enough to create smoke.

It felt heavenly and he enjoyed himself until night fell. He didn't even care about the time and just savored the moment.

He left the bath reluctantly and clothed himself with only underwear. Or, rather, he planned to. But as he saw the filthy rag, he decided against it. He felt clean for once and didn't want to lose the sensation.

Instead, he remained naked and went to his new bedroom. There was a real bed here… With a mattress! Well, there were no drapes or pillows but a mattress was already worth tearing up to him who had spent the last years in a filthy hammock.

As he dropped on the mattress, he felt sweetness and coziness. It was to the point that he never wanted to live this comfort. He wished he could stay on that bed forever. And soon, enraptured by the feeling, he unknowingly let himself drift to sleep.

…

He woke up the next day before midday. He wasn't certain about the time but he could feel that it was still not lunch time. The rays of sunlight from outside the window were too weak.

Wait. He was on a different planet now. It probably was different here. He would need time to get accustomed to that.

He got up with a smile and went to pick the clothes he bought yesterday. He wore them without underwear and left his house.

He had two things to do today:

1) Buy underwear and more clothes for cheap. He wanted at least three or four different outfits.

2) Buy food or find a place where he could eat for cheap.