Outburst

Despite having been roommates for several months now, Samuel and I still occasionally have disagreements.

On Tuesday of this week, Samuel had a job interview.  I was excited for him, but I was surprised when he asked me for a ride as I was about to leave for work that morning.  I was happy to help, but it was frustrating that he didn't give me any notice.  I was about to walk out the door when he asked if I could drop him off at the mall across the street from where I work.  I did my best to remain calm and explain to him that it was rude of him to not have asked the night before.  He told me that he knew that I had no obligation to help him, so why worry about it?  While I see his point, I told him that I want to help him when I can, but if he springs stuff on me at the last second, I can't make any adjustments.  Luckily, he wanted me to drop him off close to my office, so it wasn't a problem to take him.

During the day, Samuel sent me a text that he couldn't find the place where his interview would be taking place, despite calling his contact.  I offered my condolences and suggested that he hang out inside the mall so that at least he'd be out of the sun.  About ten minutes before I was going to leave work, I called him to let him know that I'd be on my way soon and to ask him where I should pick him up - I specifically asked "What store are you nearby?"  We agreed to meet at Macy's and hung up.  Soon, I was outside the mall, driving around looking for him.  When I couldn't find him, I parked and called him.  He answered, but I couldn't make out what he was saying.  Samuel has a thick accent that I still struggle with and he tends to shout into his phone, distorting his voice.  I eventually understood that he was close and would be there soon.

I was surprised when, a couple of minutes later, he arrived in a car and pulled up next to me.  He got into my car and I was furious.  Where had he been?  Why didn't he simply tell me that he wasn't at the mall anymore when I told him that I would be picking him up soon?  If he got a ride to the mall, why did he need me to take him home?

He explained that when he couldn't make his interview, he walked to a nearby nursing home to help out a friend at work.  I angrily explained that that was important information that he withheld.  While I was trying to see his point of view (don't share extraneous details because it's a waste of time), I shouted out that when he doesn't tell me things, I can't help him properly.  We traveled in silence for a few minutes before I recognized that, while I was annoyed with Samuel, much of my frustration was from other sources.  I still hadn't properly recovered from my long shift on Thursday/Friday of last week, and I hadn't made it to the gym to work off any excess energy.  I apologized and explained why I thought I had overreacted.  To his credit, Samuel brushed off the incident and told me that it was no big deal.  After I dropped him off at the apartment, I went straight to the gym to work off some energy.

It has been a challenge having a roommate, especially one from another culture.  And while I do look forward to when Samuel gets a place of his own, I'm also glad that he's around for the time being.