The Housemate

*Names have been changed to 'protect' the privacy of the offenders and to save the author from malicious threats by the offenders. Just in case.

The date was 3rd August 2005. The time was about late 9 p.m.-ish. I came back home late that day from the university library. I planned to shower and then probably do a bit more work, but as I will soon find out...

Step through the door to our (the housemates' and my) rooms. Bathroom door is free. I breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, must quickly rush before any of them uses it. One of the downfalls of sharing a bathroom...

In my room. Rest for awhile, and then gathered my stuff - was about to go when I heard the taps squeak and the flow of water through the pipes. My heart slowly sank. This is not good.

Stepped outside and checked. Bathroom door shut. Okay, never mind, I thought. Can wait. No worries.

And so I went back to the comfort of my room.

And waited.

Minutes ticked by. I did some random things around my room, and switched on my laptop. Surfed around for awhile. Hummed to myself. Listen to music. Lalala.

Half an hour passed. Stepped outside again and checked. My patience is beginning to run down. I was sticky and tired, and I was still in my school uniform. (Ugh, typing this down brings back the bad memories of that day. My annoyance is back.)

Decided to do refill my water bottle. Already 10 plus p.m. now. Before I go to the kitchen, I stopped outside the bathroom door for awhile. Funny. No water running. Instead, I could hear her voice muttering in a low tone to someone. Suddenly a funny sound caught my ears. Snip, snip, snip. Snip, snip, snip.

Hm. Okay, she's cutting her hair, I presume. Trimming. Whatever.

And then I heard the ugly voice of that guy answering her. And my heart sank even more. I suddenly had a bad feeling that it was going to be a veeeery loooong night.

Kitchen. Waited for water to boil. Lalala... Then I heard the bathroom door opening. Good! Then I saw her come out and take the vacuum cleaner from the living room. I thought that she was done with whatever she was doing in the stupid toilet and probably wanted to vacuum her room. Yep, at 11.45 p.m.

Filled up my one-litre water bottle. (Yes, I'm still carrying around a huge water bottle here. It's the water tank, except it's reincarnated in a different look.) Went back to room and the bathroom door was still locked. I thought that the other half was probably in there. Wah-lau. Got your own house still don't want to go back there?? Sleep over anyhow you like. ANNOYING.

Chatted with Ern for awhile on-line. Ranted to him, and I told him that surely if he was here, he'll probably say some biting comment to them. And I told him that I sorely felt like doing that right now. Just knock on the door and lecture them or something.

I heard the door opened suddenly. I quickly ran to check.

The sight that greeted my eyes was this:

The vacuum cleaner sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor, looking all innocent for times to come.

Hair everywhere, on the counter, in the sink, on the floor.

Whaaaaattt??!!!

Increasingly frustrated now. Went back to room. Complaining to Ern about the inconsideration of the she-person and her fat companion. More than an hour has passed by!! It was close to midnight. I have waited for a bloody two hours.

I told Ern that she was cutting something in there, her hair, probably. And Ern, being Ern, thought "things". To quote him: "what if she snipping the hair "down there" ;p" (Yeah, that is sick, I know.)

After typing a few more replies to Ern, I went to check again. And was greeted by the sight of the half-naked boyfriend.

Wahhhh-lauuu... I have never felt so irritated. In a very measured and even tone, with a pinch of tiredness and a bowl of annoyance, I told him:

"Are you done with the toilet yet? I need to take a bath."

He looked a bit flustered and apologetically said, "Oh, ok, sorry, sorry. We'll be done soon, just need to clear up some things."

Okay, no problem. Soon, you said? I can still wait. Yup, I'm very patient. Been patient for too long for my own good.

I was majorly annoyed, but nevertheless I continued waiting.

Meanwhile, Ern convinces me to tell them off and just do something to hurry them up.

Ern: Ask them what they were doing inside. Ask them! I really wanna know!

Me: So weird to confront like that lah - I hardly talk to them anyway. I say, "they", even though the guy doesn't live here but pretend that he does.

Ern: Well, out of curiosity mahhh... I mean, you do have the right, you know.

Me: Hm... you have a point there. What have I got to lose, right?

Ern: Hahaha, exactly!! Go, go, go, ask them!

Me: It's so unlike me!!

Ern: Go now and come back and tell me! And if you think they are lying, you give them the eyebrow thing. And then you ask them again and say, "Are you sure??"

Me: Hahaha... asking "are you sure?" a second time is a bit too much, don't you think...

Ern: Haha, nooo... if you give them the raised eyebrow with like a kinda smirk on your face... and ask "are you sure" then it seems like you're just being fun. But then if she starts giggling or like looking guilty then you know they were doing something nasty :P

Me: -_-"

Anyway~ the idea appealed to me, and I thought that I should really stand up for my rights for once. And so I left Ern and was actually looking forward to giving them a piece of my mind.

The door was still locked, and annoyed, I knocked on the door and said in a very irritated tone, "Are you done yet?? It's already past midnight, and I'm still in my uniform, I have waited for more than two hours, and I need to sleep!"

The door opened a few minutes later and they were greeted by the sight of a very haggard and murderous-looking me. I glanced at them and said clippedly, "So what were you guys doing, huh?"

I WISH.

LOL. Sorry to disappoint you all, but noooo, I didn't get my chance to tell them off. What happened was, just as I wanted to go and give them a good talking to, she knocked on my door and said, "Done. You can use the toilet now."

Wah-lau eh. My luck always hit me like this. Disgruntled at a lost chance (I actually blame it partly on having to drag out the online conversation with Ern), I just looked at her and said, "Okay."

Just like that.

And proceeded to use the bathroom.

All those years spent you people really paid off. Enduring your endless teasings and being the targets of most of your jokes, I know the true meaning of patience. Especially from having to put up with a certain someone named Ern.

In all due course, of course, I simply must give some credit to Ern for bringing out the "violent" side of me =P, even though I didn't have the chance to bring her out. But don't worry. I've put up with their antics for too long now. Next time...

Three more months to go in this drab place I don't call home.

Must be patient.

*Inhale*

*Exhale*