It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye
I once lived with a hockey player from the Midwest, who revealed himself to be a Republican. A fact I mention because I would not have moved in if I had known. The apartment was in a Brooklyn hipster neighborhood, not a place where I expected Republicans to congregate. In any case, we got on fine as I kept my distance. When he came home from his high-paying job, all he did was play videos games and shout and throw tomatoes at the TV during the Democratic primary season. For the most part, I was happy but was asked to leave so that his girlfriend could move in.
The girlfriend (a person of color and a Muslim, no less) must have got sick of his Republican sermons and video game-playing because she left him after two months. The night it happened, he called me, bawling on the phone about the break-up. He must have valued my friendship, which consisted of him expounding his understanding of politics at my doorway while I tried to sleep after a long day at work. At the time, I would evade engaging with him by saying I “didn’t really follow politics” (in reality, I work in social justice). Pretty soon it became clear that he thought I was his trusted confidant. He wailed to me over the phone every day after she left.
Then one day, he called to persuade me to move in as he needed someone to help pay the rent.
“So you’re really good person, really incredible, you would never do something like this to me,” he said. “It serves me right… that bitch left me with thousands of dollars in bills. The room is still yours. I’ll get my hockey boys and we even can come right now and pack up. You don’t have to anything.”
The calls continued 4-5 times a day. Feeling sorry for him, I would pick up but put him on mute so he could have monologues without interrupting my work day. These ‘chats’ would end after an hour with him saying:
“Well anyways, you’re probably busy and I am boring you.. Just tell me do think she’ll come back? Do you think I should go get her?”
I would use these opportunities to promptly get off the phone. Shortly after he designated me his unwilling agony aunt, I was due to leave on a two-month trip. On the eve of my departure, he repeated his plea for me to move in.
“I promise, if you move in and l’ll never let another woman come between us,” he said.
I declined and went on my trip. While I was away, he emailed me constantly. In one email, he wrote that he found blood on his sheets after a drunken night out and said that he might have tried to kill himself. He added that all his friends had abandoned him and asked if I was going to be abandon him too.
I did not respond and stopped hearing from him after that. When I returned from my trip, I learnt that he kept harassing his ex so much that she had to get restraining order put on him. I am so glad I wasn’t in the least tempted to move back.
Just a question, why did you keep picking up if you knew all he did was crazy out all over the place when he was on the phone with you?
Hey jackass, why are you surprised that his girlfriend was a minority? Oh, yeah, I forgot, all of us republicans are racists. Sorry, I forgot.
“Social Justice! No prejudices! All people are alike! Peace! Love! Same rights for all! Well.. As long as you vote on the same party as me.”
Left wing hypocrites… Loved all over the world…
You never would have moved in with him if you knew his was Republican? That’s not very fair. Granted, he sounds crazy, but there are plenty of crazy Democrats too. I promise, it’s not that hard to get along with most Republicans… Just don’t talk politics! Which I personally think is rude unless the person shares your views, but that might just be because I live in Seattle, where almost everyone in a Democrat, and feels the need to talk about it all the time.
LOL @ the republicans proving they are idiots. Thank you all.
to discriminate against a certain party is a prejudicial move on your part. If you work in social justice you should be able to discern what are “group” qualities, and what are individual qualities. I agree with Zoid, not all Republicans are racist – just like not all Democrats are “crazy hippies”…to assume that shows your own prejudice.
Well too bad about you’re roomate but Yeah, what he did has nothing to do with his political affliation, but then again, have you ever seen a conservative-basied anecdote on this website? Didn’t think so. Just liberal-biased.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with screening a roommate based on politics. It is something that people can get very heated over. No sense in getting into arguments every day. But in this case it doesn’t seem like Repub’s politics and crazy were linked (this time
Ahh, the joy that is Republican roommates. I wouldn’t have moved in with one, either.
Why do I get the feeling this was one big lie to make Republicans look bad?
Wow, you seem like quite the cruel, judgmental person. Too bad you weren’t more upfront about that to your roommate instead of letting him think you were friends.
I have actually seen ads on Craigslist for roommates that say “No Republicans Allowed.” It’s amazing that we have come so far as a nation and still allow for this kind of blind hatred. I really feel sorry for you that you are not more open-minded.
I love how liberal people always claim to be open-minded & demand it of others, but they are some of the most closed-minded people I’ve ever met.
I’m not particularly part of one side or the other. It just bothers me how hypocritical it is.
You Republicans are bad people. You can disagree, but why must you attack our president with such hate? Youi guys are always on the defensive, because at your heart you are hateful ,souless demons who hate anyone or anything different from you. I cannot wait until we have a white man as president again so I can point and laugh at all his guaranteed screw-ups. I’d like to think i’m making a generalization, and I should feel bad, but GOP has shown their true colors this election, and I will never feel like a citizen of this horrible country.