Did She Really Do That?

The first day I visited my new roommate I told her that I had a desktop computer and I needed the internet access set up for my bedroom. When I moved in she told me that she’d have her friend come and hook up my connection by the weekend. I informed her, in writing that internet access is vital to my career so I couldn’t wait until the weekend.

She replied by saying that I could borrow her laptop until her friend came. I replied by saying I appreciate the offer but her computer does not have the programs (WORD) that I need to present my contracts professionally but I will use it until she gets my room connected but it needs to be sooner than later. She installed the programs on her computer a week later.

Her friend never came to visit and set up my connection. By this time I’m getting frustrated because in the evenings she comes home, plops down on the couch and turns on the TV to relax. Her laptop is not wireless so If I’m still revising my proposal I can’t concentrate with her interrupting me and telling me her life’s stories, talking on the phone and watching crazy shit like REAL WORLD Denver.

All I want to do is go in my room and close the door and use the internet. I don’t want to have to sit up in her face every night.

So I kinda have to confront her about the whole thing and she tells me that I need a cable modem. I’m pressed to NOT be interrupted by her relaxation routine so I go out and buy one from Walmart for $70. I try to install it and I realize that my disk drive is not working correctly. I get my friend Vicky to show me how to fix it and I come back home to install the software.

I keep going to her and asking her what’s going on with the connection in my room to which she replies dumbly, “Ohhh. just call the cable company.” I raise my eyebrow and suck it up while she giggles in front of the television.

I call them using her account information and they tell me that they can not register two modems for one account and if I need a second computer added I’ll need to buy a splitter or router or something.

I tell her what’s going on and she says she will take care of it.

A few days later I run to Walmart to return the cable modem and they tell me that I can’t return computer software. I immediately call her and tell her what happened and that I will be home to talk to her about it.

I come home and show her the modem and the receipt and tell her that I’m getting tired of trying to figure out how to set this internet up when I TOLD her that I wasn’t tech savvy and she promised to make sure it was hooked up for me.

Internet is included in the rent. It says so on the month to month lease. Nowhere on the lease did it say that I would be required to spend more money on hardware or that I would have to coordinate installation. I ask her to give me the money I spent on the modem, $70, since I can’t return it, I don’t need it and I only bought it because she told me I needed it.

She basically says that it’s not her fault my disk drive wasn’t working and I’m looking at her like, “Please don’t make me act crazy on you..” I’m pleading with her with my eyes and heart.

She refused to give me the money.

I charge that one to the game and go spend some time with friends. When I get back my internet access is up and running in my room. I’m so happy!

I look around the apartment for the modem I bought. I mentioned the situation to a friend of mine and she asked if she could have the modem, I told her “sure.”

I can’t find my modem.

When she gets home I ask her, “Hey, do you know what happened to my modem?”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking you. I can’t find the box and I know I left it here.”

“Oh,” she says and walks into her room. “I forgot to tell you, I returned it but they only gave me half the money back.”

She hands me my receipt and two bills totalling $30.

I look at the receipt in astonishment. There’s a straight line through the price of the modem. I have returned enough stuff to Walmart to know that a full refund was given if a line is drawn through a receipt.

Is this chick really trying to get over on me?

“Dawn,” I begin cautiously. “Why would you do something like that without even talking to me about it first? I promised that modem to someone already since I was told I couldn’t get the cash.”

“I did it cuz I saw you were really pissed off about the whole thing.”

“So you take my purchase without my permission and return it to the store and forget to give me the HALF return payment that Walmart gave you?” My eyes are tiny slits now.

“Fine,” she says quietly and starts to walk away. “I will give you the full amount for it then.”

“You sure will.”

I walk into my room and call my friend to tell her what happened. “Pshhh,” my friend says. “That’s white people for ya. They will kill their own BROTHER if they think they can get a million dollars for it. It’s not that she thinks you’re dumb, she just thinks she can outsmart you.”

“But why would she need to outsmart me? We’re not in competition.”

“Girl, all I can say is, I’m not surprised to hear this story. That’s how they are. You can’t trust them.”

Man…

I actually found a roommate in Houston (through Craig’s List) and I was just about to write about her. But now…I’m not so sure because she’s white and I have never had a good experience with a white woman and now that all this went down, I don’t see myself being open to having another disgusting experience like I just had with my current roommate and the craziness that went on with the white girl from my old church.

I’m trying to be open. I want to be. I really do. I want to be proved wrong but… it hasn’t happened yet.

I don’t know what I’m going to do.