Adventures in Housemates – Grandparents
Housemates can be a great way to split costs or make money, but for me, housemates (unlike husbands) always become more of a mess than a savings. This is one of those messy stories. The names have all been changed for privacy.
The Time Period: two, 3-month periods in college.
The Deal: Free living – only had to help with house work. Own room and bathroom!
The Cons: Grandma uses Catholic guilt. Grandma is impatient. Grandparents have bigoted views. Grandma drew a gun on me while naked (the naked part was worse than the gun)… perhaps I should get into the details.
The Details: Grandma would wait until I was running late for class to request house chores, normally involving moving heavy things that Grandpa could hurt himself while doing. For instance, she requested can goods be moved out of their motor-home and put in the basement at that instant or she would have Grandpa with rods in his back and knee replacements do it instead. She would always say if I did not do it then that she would have Grandpa do it. Grandma and Grandpa would also say racist and homophobic garble during their every day life. For instance, “That boy had N shoes” Or “Why are all these gays on TV”. Now normally those things I may begrudgingly put-up with, but the last straw was the naked grandma gun incident. Grandpa was away for a couple weeks deer hunting and I told Grandma that I would not be home for lunch because I had a lunch meeting. Well, the lunch meeting was cancelled and I went back to grandma’s for a hot-pocket. I am standing in the kitchen cooking my hot pocket when grandma comes out totally naked brandishing “Pearl”, her handgun, thinking I was an intruder. Her elderly woman body was like a large sack of lumpy potatoes, I was scarred. Thank goodness grandma did not shoot and fortunately I still got to eat my hot-pocket.
The Verdict: Not worth it. An unreasonably demanding grandmother, with an itchy trigger finger, is not the environment for a student whose plans change.
Housing Solution Next Term: Free room and Board for pledging a fraternity (Best Deal Ever and so worth it).
Share your housemate horror stories.
If you like this post or other don’t forget to subscribe and comment. Give me feedback so I can provide information you value.
