The Tenant

A few weeks later, Blake gets a call from Malcolm on his way home from work. He is annoyed, as Krista is currently with Becky and must have orchestrated the call. Malcolm pressures Blake into getting drinks the following Wednesday. Blake tries to get out of it, but Malcolm won’t take no for an answer.

When Blake goes into his house, he finds Whitney sitting on the living room sofa. She is well-dressed, and Blake wonders if she is going out on a date. She takes out a tube of red lipstick and puts it on her lips. Before Blake can stop himself, he asks her where she got it. She tells him it’s none of his business, then reminds him that he should “worry” about himself and his new job—especially after what happened at his old one.

The comment makes Blake realize that he never told Whitney about his last job. He begins to wonder whether her moving in wasn’t a “coincidence” and if she has “engineered all this from the beginning” (113).

When Blake goes into the kitchen, there are fruit flies everywhere, even though he and Krista clean every day and set two traps.