I had gotten a two room apartment when I moved out of my parents home after graduating college, which was the a smart move on my part, I thought.  As a result, I had to get a roommate to help with the rent and utilities, which I also thought was a great idea in the beginning, but little did I know.

At first, everything started out really great.  I worked nights at the hospital and he worked days at the hospital, so we hardly ever really saw one another except in passing. 

It was still like living alone, except that someone else’s clothes were always left laying in the bathroom floor when I came home from work, which I refused to pick up.  Slowly, the small pile grew into a big smelly mess.  All I could say was at least he was consistent in where he placed them.  Other than that the first month went smoothly.

When the first of the month came, I got the water bill, electricity bill, and the bill for our rent together.  Once I had added them all together, I divided them by two and came up with $589.96. 

Vance was just stepping out of the bathroom so I asked him to come over.  I showed him the bills and the rent, then I showed him how much his half was.  He looked at me and laughed.  At first, I was not sure how to take his laughing, then I thought he was joking.  However, it did not take me long at all to figure out that he was not joking, but seriously laughing.

For the life of me I could not see what was so funny.  As soon as he stopped laughing, he calmly said, “This always happens to me.  Someone asks me to move in with them and then they want me to pay rent.  Man, I am broke.  I don’t even know how to buy a car with bad credit if I had to!” 

I looked at him like he was crazy and said, “I thought you worked at the hospital!”

“No, man!  I just hang out there, because I get good hand outs there.  By the way, that pile of clothes in the bathroom is yours and they really are beginning to smell.”

Teresa Townsend, Author