ROOMMATE PAYS MY RENT

In my infinite wisdom as a young adult, I graduated from college with a fairly useless degree. I was able to get a job at a local retail outlet, which paid enough to barely cover my monthly costs. My earning potential was limited, which meant I had no choice but to have a roommate to help cover rent when I got an apartment.

I figured out that sharing a two-bedroom apartment was cheaper than paying for a one-bedroom by myself, so with what little savings I had, I managed to cover first and last months’ rent for a two-bedroom apartment just outside the downtown area. I immediately put up flyers and advertised in the local paper for a roommate to cover half the monthly rent. I was a bit surprised at how few responses I received. I was getting kind of desperate when I got a call from a guy interested in sharing the apartment. I hadn’t really thought about sharing an apartment with a guy, but….why not? I told him to come by that evening so we could meet and discuss the details.

After my shift at work, I was sitting in my living room watching TV when the prospective roommate knocked on the apartment door.

When I opened the door I saw a fairly attractive man….maybe 4 years older than I was…with broad shoulders and a big smile. I stuck my hand out and introduced myself, “Hi, I’m Chrissy. Thanks for answering my ad.”

“Hi, Chrissy. I’m Trent. Yeah, my offices are just around the corner, so this might be a perfect fit for me.”

We shook hands and I said, “Come on in, Trent. Let me show you the place so you can check it out and see what you think.”

I showed Trent around the apartment, answering the few questions he had, and finished the tour in the living room where we sat on the sofa and chatted for a while. He seemed really nice, had a really good job – making a lot more money than I did – and after just a few minutes we decided that he would move in and we’d become roommates.

Trent was a good roommate, and we became good friends…goofing around, sharing meals, the occasional foot rub, sometimes even wrestling on the sofa when we got silly. We enjoyed the same foods, so the refrigerator wasn’t a problem, and we both had about the same level of neatness to our house-keeping. His girlfriend, Faith, was really nice, and he seemed to get along well with my boyfriend, Scott, so all the pieces fit nicely.

Everything went pretty smoothly for the first 3 months. Then I had car trouble and the repairs cost much more than I could afford. I was sitting at the dinette table by the kitchen poring through my financial situation when Trent came home from work. He noticed my consternation and came up behind me, rubbed my shoulders a bit and asked, “What’s up, Chris?”

Almost in tears, I said, “My car’s in the shop and the only way I can afford to get it fixed is if I don’t pay rent this month.”

When Trent heard this, he stopped rubbing my shoulders for a second. Then he started up again, moving his hands a little lower on my back, and said, “Wow. That’s tough….what are you going to do?”

“I have no idea,” I said, my eyes getting moist. “I honestly have absolutely no idea.”

Trent leaned over my shoulder and said softly into my ear, “I have an idea.”

Still sitting at the table, I turned my head to look at him and said with a hopeful smile, “You do?