Roommates

The venue for this session of PI is a hotel with two levels of rooms built around an open courtyard. We were assigned the rooms automatically, and I wasn't too surprised to find I would be sharing with another Anglo. We were reassured that although we would be sharing a bathroom, we each had our own room. Samantha and I were dismayed, though, to find that the door opened directly into one of the bedrooms, and the access to the second bedroom was only by walking through the first. I didn't know which would be worse - to have to cross through someone else's bedroom anytime you wanted to come or go, or to have someone crossing through your bedroom. Oy.

After a few moments of polite and indecisive deliberation, I told Sam I would go ask Nadia and Christine, the PI-ers in charge, whether there were any other room options. Sam seemed nervous to ask. "They worst they can do is tell us we can't switch," I pointed out as I headed out the door.

We found Nadia and Christine in the midst of trying to get everyone into their proper rooms, so we took seats in the lobby to wait our turn. As we waited another girl, Kelly, came in looking upset. "They put me in a room with a boy!" she whispered, agitated.

When Nadia came over to deal with us complainers, we took our turns. Nadia declared Kelly's situation more dire - Kelly was obviously upset about the pairing. "I don't have any brothers and I've never had a male roommate before!" she said. "It's just too uncomfortable,."

"Yes," Nadia said, "but you have separate bedroom doors, right? So you are only sharing a bathroom."

"Yes, but..." Kelly trailed off, her misery fighting against her courtesy.

I smelled an opportunity. I had already gathered from the conversations around us that the hotel was full with our group, and I also knew that having my own private bedroom was important to my enjoyment of the week.

'I can trade with you," I offered Kelly. "I don't mind sharing a bathroom with a boy."

"Really?" Kelly and Nadia both asked, Kelly relieved and Nadia with disbelief.

"Sure!"

And that is how I wound up roommates with a guy named Jason. :)