Do I Have a Roommate?

"Who's there? Reeses? Was that you?” I could see Reeses lying near my feet asleep, but I thought that maybe she thumped her tail slightly while dreaming. My anxiety level had been at an all time high these past two weeks. It was probably just my imagination.

Two weeks ago. Man. Life can spring surprises on a person in a heartbeat. Just two weeks ago, my elderly sister, who I had stupidly agreed to share an apartment with, decided that she didn’t like the city life anymore. She wanted to live on the coast so she packed up and left me stuck with an apartment lease I couldn’t afford on a dog walker’s pay. I had to scramble to find a place. I had a budget of $800 per month including my utilities and it had to be near my clients. Ugh. Maybe that would cover the cost of a shed. Chin up. I couldn’t let life stomp a mud hole in me.

The next day, I was making my rounds. One of my regulars lived in a garage apartment that had originally been a carriage house for the big house in front, all built in 1901. The carriage house was now two one-bedroom apartments upstairs and a very small one-bedroom apartment downstairs with the other half of the downstairs a two car garage. I noticed on my way up to get Reeses that the downstairs apartment was empty again. Wow! I thought. It must have been divine providence. The last tenant didn’t even last a month.

The rest is history. I contacted the landlord that evening and signed the lease the next day. He didn’t ask for references or a credit check. In retrospect, I should have been suspicious, but, hey. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and I was too old to be sleeping in my car. These past two weeks, I walked dogs all day and packed and cajoled friends into helping me move into my 420 square foot “dungeon” apartment all evening. I was finally in the weird little place and kept Reeses with me for a couple of weeks while her mom was on vacation. The apartment was like no place I’d ever seen. The only windows were the double French door entry and one 24” by 12” window in the bedroom looking into the garage. “That’s okay.”, I told myself. It’s so small, I will surely hear if someone tries to break in.

I had cleaned the apartment from top to bottom because of the high turnover that I was sure of happening there. It was creepy but sparkling clean. I was sitting on the sofa watching some tv to chill and Reeses was sleeping right at my feet, which was unusual. She was normally a very independent dog. It wasn’t unusual for her to make herself comfortable on my bed while I was busying myself elsewhere, but not since I’d moved in here. She stayed within inches of wherever I was. “Oh well. It was probably just the wind. I’m just tired. A shower and my nice, clean sheets is what I need right now.”

As I was undressing to get into the shower, I noticed the top of the shower rod with a dark brown creamy like substance on it. I knew I’d cleaned everything, so, what was it? I wiped my hand along the top and looked at my hand. It was a dark makeup foundation. I’m very fair, so I knew it wasn’t mine and anyway, why? Oh well. Maybe it was something I missed cleaning. I just took a shower, dressed and Reeses and I went to the bedroom.

I turned on the bedside lamp and turned back the covers to my freshly washed sheets. Finally, a night of sleep without a worry. I climbed under the sheets but Reeses wouldn’t snuggle under with me. She stayed on top of the covers. The fresh sheets felt so good. I reached over. turned off the bedside lamp and readied myself for dreamland expecting to immediately drift off in my wooden shoe with Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

I couldn’t, though. I always sleep on my side. I could feel what I thought was my skin crawling from the top of my shoulder down to my feet. “It’s just anxiety.”, I thought, again, and reached under my arm to rub it. Then, I felt something like cooked rice. “Where would I have gotten the rice? I haven’t even cooked here yet.” Then I started feeling ‘rice’ all under my body. I jumped up and turned on the lamp and where I’d been lying were maggots the length of my body! I was truly freaking out and Reeses was joining in. We were jumping and yelping. I couldn’t think of what to do, so I grabbed a jar and started scooping them into it and flushing them into the toilet. Reeses was with me every step of the way. Then I thought, “No one will believe this. I have to have evidence!”, so I scooped the remaining maggots into the jar and put the lid on it.

For the remainder of the night, I laid on the sofa with Reeses sleeping literally on top of me. She was taking no chances and I was very grateful if not uncomfortable. No matter, I knew I wouldn’t be getting any sleep that night. I did turn off the light just to try to relax. It was still light enough in the apartment from the ambient light outside.

I must have drifted off because I felt someone kick the sofa. “Oh $#!%!, someone’s broken in!” I could smell a mixture of oil and gas like the smell in a mechanic's shop or an old time gas station. I looked down towards where I had felt the kick and I could see a form that was darker than anywhere else in the room.

My panic level was off the charts by then. I didn’t know what to do. I’d never dealt with anything like this before. I couldn’t scream. I felt paralyzed. Finally I thought, “maybe I can reason with it,” after all I’d been in sales before so I telepathically said, “please, don’t frighten me anymore. I’m broke and I can’t afford to leave your home right now but as soon as I can, I will.”

Within minutes the smell of the gas and oil dissipated and the dark form slowly disappeared. I was untroubled for the next two months of living there and then, out of the blue, one of the upstairs apartments became available. When the landlord asked me if I wanted it, I met him with a resounding yes before he could finish his question.

On moving day, I was busy unpacking and I didn’t hear my nephew come up the stairs and in behind me. The sneaky little bugger leaned close to my ear and whispered, “I’m here”. I almost fainted. Maybe it was the wind.