Thursday, October 05, 2006

Dynamite Roommates in NYC

The young man who owns the apartment that Deacon is subletting is visiting. He is studying abroad and it was prearranged that whenever he was in town --basically just twice a year-- he could stay in his own room downstairs. Of course, Deacon agreed to this before he realized that sweet Alice was going to knock on his door with bags in hand. But Mule doesn't care that I'm here, even though I thought it best to sleep upstairs on the sofa and let him have his privacy.

He was arriving yesterday morning and I had awaken early so that I could take my things from the room and change the bedding and etc. etc. We expected him in late afternoon. At seven a.m., he walks in the door. I needed to get ready for work and dashed around trying to vacant the room; he was here too bloody early! This made me think about how a year ago, I was toying with the idea of sharing an apartment with Harry, a friend whom I adore. Some of my friends didn't approve.

KAT: Alice, dear, what happens if you two get into a tiff and then can't bear to share the same space?

I was highly amused by the word.

ALICE: A tiff? What constitutes a tiff?

KAT: You know. You fight over the toothpaste, or the messy bathroom, or the sharing of beauty products and before you know it, KABOOM! It's over.

Other friends warned that friends shouldn't share apartments because they'll get sick of each other and won't want to be in the same social settings anymore.

I thought about this logic.

ALICE: So, let me get this straight. If friends shouldn’t share, then you’re saying that my best bet is to room with an enemy.
KAT: NO! That's not what we mean.
MELENA: Yeah. If you find a roommate, and then over time become friends, that's something else because first and foremost you are roommates.

They then told me that my problem really was that I was "infatuated" with Harry and he would not be a perfect match for me.

ALICE: Oh really? What gave you that idea. The fact that he's younger? Or the fact that he's gay?

My friends hemmed. My friends hawed. I assured them that Harry would be a perfect match for me. Well, if I were way younger. And a man. And gay. Or if he were way older. Still a man. And not gay.

ALICE: Anyway, no worries. There will be no kaboom. We've already spoken about this and Harry is not keen on us being roommates.

My friends gave me a why-the-hell-not look.

ALICE: He said we would get sick of each other and it would ruin our friendship.

I admitted this sheepishly.

FRIENDS: What! Well, you would SO get sick of him first!

So here I am with Deacon, his girlfriend, and Mule. A happy little family in an apartment in New York City.

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