Monday, June 15, 2020

(1222) Renting a room

I am visiting an old friend who runs a rooming house for six girls. It is interesting to see the interactions among the inmates as well as the relationship of each tenant with the chief tenant.

One would imagine that students or working girls would group together and rent an apartment. Not true for this house. Each girl independently found the house, stay happily until it is time to move on. Although they are happy to make this gracious location their domicile, they would not recommend their friend in, not even when friends are interested and there is a room about to be vacant. With two months deposit, the chief tenant has at least two months' notice before anyone moved out. Any other scenario would lead to forfeiture of deposit, month for month in hard cash!

My friend's theory is that friends of most kinds could not withstand the daily grind. She thinks it is smarter for most girls to live apart from every one of their friends and live with virtual strangers. Perhaps that is generally true. But, I do have an exception to the rule. My mother lives next door to a house owned by three people: husband, his wife and the wife's best friend. Lately the middle age husband who is a citizen of Australia works out of town. We seldom see the wife, she probably relocated periodically to be with him. The other female part owner retired from school teaching but still keeps herself busy with other jobs. Previously the building was used as a counselling house run by three women: the two joint owners and one other from their church. With the current situation, my mum hardly sees the third woman.

Now and then as I visit I would notice all three of them going out in one car for most of the day, possibly running or attending a seminar on counselling. 

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