Seeing a moving truck parked outside of my apartment is parallel to a dark cloud hovering above my head waiting to rain on my parade.
Staying at Seminole Grand, a complex that specializes in separate lease apartments, that dark cloud finally burst a couple weeks ago when my new roommate brought in his belongings. So far, since moving to Tallahassee, I have had five roommates.
As a freshman I started out living in a 4/4. Two left and one got evicted. That roommate situation worked out well because we were all friends. Of course, we had our share of heated disagreements about food, personal space and cleanliness, but you live and you learn.
After they left, I had a four-bedroom apartment all to myself. Life was good and I began to get used to the idea of not having to share a refrigerator and always having a clean living area.
Loud noises and unexpected visits moved out and peace had moved in, until that inevitable phone call.
I was being forced to relocate to a remodeled 2/2 and to my surprise, I was still without a roommate, but I spoke too soon.
My fourth roomie was a female and, while the employees at the complex are supposed to follow a basic preference card to describe your ideal roommate, but she slipped through the cracks because she had a unisex name.
Because when sharing an apartment, it’s not just yours but the other person’s as well.
My female roommate was easily the best so far.
She was peaceful, with the exception of her loud music and love of Plies. But she put up with my sometimes smoky cooking and coming home late from work.
But like some good things, it came to an end when she moved out. Peace made itself at home again and I welcomed it. But just as I was readjusting to my apartment and my solitude my male roommate moved in and kicked peace out.
On the day I was to have a video game party with a few staff members from the Famuan, the first sign of my roommate’s existence was a single Marie Callender’s dinner in the freezer.
All of the bleeps and booms from video games faded from my mind. I would hate for my new roommate’s welcome to be a filled with loud techno music and playful threats being screamed at each other when losing a game.
Just as I would want someone to be considerate of me, I would return the favor. All is well now, but earlier this week, he asked if it were cool that he had a puppy.
I said sure, but in the back of my mind, I knew that peace had been
placed in the dog house.