Topic: houseguests

The first time my college roommate and I ever had a guest stay over we were living in the dorms. Our friend was deemed a ‘guest’ because he planned in advance to come visit us, as opposed to just being some guy who lived down the hall and fell asleep on our futon at 6am. We were excited to welcome our guest and make him as comfortable as one could be in a room the size of a jail cell, making sure to provide him with a nice blanket, fresh sheets and a pillow (all above-penitentiary grade). He came up Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday morning, and we had a great time. That is, until we quickly noticed the giant wet spot he’d left behind on the futon, blanket and sheets. When we inquired about the spot – which was soaked – he said that he’d had too much to drink and must have sweat through the night. But deep down, we knew the truth. We didn’t get close enough to smell it, but we knew. It was then that I realized that having a guest – and being a guest – in a home shared by roommates can be tricky business. If someone was capable of pissing all over my brand new futon in just two nights, imagine what else he (or she) could be capable of doing during, say, a weeklong stay. Just the idea of it turned me off to guests for a long time. More »