Roommates

This story has to be told for you to get to know me better. Sorry things have been a little dark lately, lightening the mood tomorrow, I promise.

I could probably blame Saved by the Bell the colleges years for about 51% of my motivation to go to away to a four year school. It is 75% to blame for the off campus housing option I chose. I wanted to have the same set up as them. Two rooms with a middle common area. 20% was my picky eating habits that made eating at a cafeteria frightening. 5% was I did not want to live in a tiny room.

I was assigned to live in University Village. Like I said it was off campus, but still owned by the University. If I hadn't been assigned to live there I never would have met the hubby. Some other bad things may have never happened either. It was basically a studio apartment. We had a big living space for beds, and desks and a tiny kitchen and bathroom. I was assigned a roommate. We lived upstairs. At the top of the flight of stairs were 4 rooms. 1 was ours. The others belonged to Lorne and Chin (the only boys), Michelle and Corinne, and Katherine and Emma. We all became fast friends. We spent all our time together and I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world.

When firguring out where to live for the next year, we all wanted to live together, with a few additions. Lorne's girlfriend and Michelle's friend. We rented two townhouses down the street from University Village. I lived in the townhouse with three other girls. As I now know, and have heard from many friends, this is usually a recipe for distaster. Some of the girls were loud, some were light sleepers.

In January of the first year, I started dating Hubby. I think I got so involved in the new relationship that I was being distanced from my roomies. That summer, some rearranging was done and I moved to the one bedroom downstairs. This further distanced me. I can't remember when but a couple of them decided to put locks on the doors when they weren't there. We maintained until the winter.

Since I was dating Hubby, and he was a local, I did not move home for school breaks. All my roommates did. Every year at Christmas I put up a tiny fake tree and put my presents underneath. I think it was a few days before Christmas, Hubby and I went to a family friends for a party. When we got home I was doing something in the kitchen and Hubby went into my room. He yelled from my room something about moving the computer. I walked into my room and my laptop computer was gone. I don't remember the order of things after that. I know at some point I called my parents and the police. Realized that the presents had been taken from under the tree which about brought me to my knees. My roommates doors that had the locks had been kicked in. One had left a laptop that was stolen.

We had a back slider that had a stick in it for safety. The police assumed the person had been able to knock the stick out. We had maintenance come the next day to change our front door lock just to be safe. We put locks on all the doors to protect us if someone came in while we were there. We got a new stick for the slider and put an alarm on it.

I drove home to be with my family on Christmas. I couldn't make it. I was in tears. My parents met me half way and my dad drove my car and my mom drove me. I was in school and needed a computer. After the holidays, we packed up my dad's desktop in a black trash bag. We assumed no one would take a desktop and just wanted to make sure no one saw me take the computer in. I don't know how soon after, but when I was out again for awhile and came home they took my desktop. Police were called again. This time there was no forced entry. The locks had been changed. The burglar was watching our place and had a master key.

My poor dad felt so helpless. It was a very quick and easy decision to move asap. Some of my roommates didn't want to move! Can you believe that? We discussed all moving together but they didn't seem too excited to live with me again. I got a place of my own. I saw a few of them again after that. We have all pretty much lost touch.

I have gotten better, but am pretty paranoid still. I didn't put the presents under the tree the next year. I have been able to recently. When I come home every day I notice if things are different than they were left. I can't really watch scary movies any more.

We later came to find out that 20 other townhouses in our complex were broken into over that winter break. Great job Chico PD. They never found out who did it. We will always suspsect the managers of the complex. I know none of you would ever do such a horrible thing. I wonder if the people realize how much it changes the lives of the people and families they rob. The only humor in the story was that I was going to give someone the book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". We hope the robber read it.