Egon trudged downstairs in grey sweatpants and a creased navy blue T-shirt. He seemed at last comfortable.
“I heard a new voice,” he said, stopping near the table.
“The new housemate is here. We’re waiting for him to talk about rules.” the word came out forced. “It will only take a couple of minutes,” I said, almost pleading. From the little I’ve seen of him, I knew he too would dread a gathering like this. But it was necessary.
His eyes were locked on me with utmost focus; it was almost intimidating.
Hael twisted to face him. “Coffee?” he asked with a smile I only deduced from the brightness of his voice.
Egon ended our staring match and gave Hael a curt nod. Hael was quick to stand, while, to my surprise, Egon walked around the table. He settled into the seat beside me. He only had two choices, but I still stiffened when he sat. I guess sitting down was his answer. He agreed to the meeting without protest, and that was it.
“Thank you,” he said, reaching out his mug when Hael returned with the coffee pot.
I was cornered, a stranger in front, a stranger beside. Unsure what to do or what to say, I grabbed my mug and drank facing the kitchen.
No one said much while we waited for Vaughn. Hael retrieved his phone and fiddled with it for a while. Then I wondered why he didn’t ask Egon to help with the list. Had he forgotten?
From a deep lack of sound, I heard my own breaths; loud. So much so that I questioned if I was breathing obnoxiously. The thought mortified me, so I started breathing consciously—as though it weren’t in my instincts to do so. I undermined my body, my pumping heart, and expanding lungs because of them.
I kept my eyes on the basement door, where Vaughn would soon materialize from. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk, and neither were they, I assumed. It surprised me that Egon wasn’t on his phone. People nowadays don’t stand silence and boredom. They’d fidget on their phones, opening different apps to feel occupied or to be distracted. I wasn’t on my phone because I left it upstairs. His was faced down on the table.
I took a peek at his hollow eyes, and like mine, they faced the basement. He sure didn’t show his impatience. I thought he’d sigh a few times, or rub his forehead, but he was still—perfect posture and all. He was like a tree beside me. I’m not sure if he was just zoning out or just solemn.
Dread. Dread. Dread filled me again. Not because there’s anything wrong with Egon, but because I was reminded again of what was happening. I lived with strangers.
Too many minutes later, we all heard footsteps. Hael propped the phone back in the centre and smiled at me feebly. His energy wasn’t as limitless as I thought. Maybe he had a long day, I thought. No one really wanted this meeting.
Vaughn emerged from the basement, his forehead still strained. He looks like he was forced to be here; to state the obvious. Yet, I wasn’t sure why he looked like that from the get go. I’m the miserable one here. I didn’t have a choice. They made theirs.
He sat down next to Hael with a sigh, “Let’s hope this meeting is short. I’ve no time to spare,” he said.
For a second, I thought he spoke his thought aloud by accident. But he showed no remorse. I took no offence to the words—again, because I didn’t care—and related to the sentiment. I planned to make this short.
Next to me, I witnessed Egon twitching. There it was. A flicker of emotion. Being offended is hard to hide, after all. As for Hael, he filled his cup, not asking first if he’d like any. Was this what they meant by killing them with kindness?
Regrets flooded the gate while I tried to make sense of this character. Hael did tell me I had a choice, but I didn’t think I had. The minute I let him into the house and showed him to his space, it was a done deal. I wasn’t afraid to be the villain who ruined his day. I simply didn’t have it in me. That too would have been a hassle to deal with.
“The most important thing to discuss would be the bathroom—”
“I cannot share a bathroom,” Vaughn said, cutting me off.
“There are two bathrooms and one shower, it’s inevitable,” I retorted.
He looked at me wide-eyed before crossing his arms.
“And we need to know who works from home and who doesn’t. That way, those who work outside get priority for showering,” I added.
Vaughn gasped, “You mean to tell me I have no choice?” His eyes were near popped out of their sockets.
I’ve never been more confused. This was normal, he wasn’t.
“I work outside, but my schedule isn’t fixed. I don’t need priority,” Egon said, not giving a glance to Vaughn. He dismissed his complaints and carried on with the meeting.
“I work from home,” Hael said in turn. “I don’t need priority either.”
“I can’t tell you about my work,” Vaughn blurted. “But I do require shower precedence. Scrap that. I cannot fathom using a shower which has been used by others, even more so by strangers.” He again spoke his thoughts out loud. Did he not have an inner thought process?
I clenched my fist on my thigh. While I wasn’t confrontational, I was capable of at least feeling anger—and suppressing it.
His silence earlier was a guise. He was getting ready to unleash his outrage, not quell it. My patience thinned, and a suggestion sparked in the midst.
“If the shower here isn’t to your liking, there’s a gym within walking distance. There you’d have access to a private shower.”
“That is utterly worse,” he replied, his features scrunching in disgust.
I was bewildered by his attitude. He chose this room, knowing its conditions. I hid nothing from the agency. Yet he acts as though it’s his first time hearing any of this. And his language didn’t match his budget. That was suspicious. But again, I couldn’t care less about who he was.
I took a page out of Egon’s book and dismissed him to continue the meeting. The more he spoke, the longer it became.
“It seems no one will really need priority for the shower. I work from home too. It will be first come, first served.”
Egon and Hael nodded while Vaughn looked away in possible surrender.
“As for the bathrooms—”
“For that at least, it’s possible to have one for myself. The nearest,” he stated, his voice sounding half as firm as the first time he’d cut me off.
As much as it killed me to agree with him, it would be convenient for us “upstairs people” to use the same bathroom.
“Hael, Egon, do you mind if we use the upstairs bathroom together?” I asked.
Hael immediately shook his head while Egon inhaled deeply through his nose.
“I don’t mind. I don’t spend a lot of time there, anyway. And I’m not peculiar,” he said, his tone harsh at the word peculiar.
“Great then, no one steps foot in that bathroom!” Vaughn rejoices, oblivious to Egon’s disdain. I didn’t use the bathroom downstairs very often, but it offended me that he claimed his territory in my house.
We proceeded with the meeting and heard enough complaints from Vaughn to write a book. After the second headache, I thought that I could have emailed them the list—and it would be non-negotiable. Despite having been half the brainpower of this list, Hael stayed on the sidelines and let me lead the meeting. Could he have been respecting my authority? Either way, he was quite the malleable person. He was ready to sacrifice many things to ease Vaughn’s ceaseless bargaining. That upset me because Vaughn wasn’t deserving of his sacrifices.
Egon went along with everything and spent most of the meeting drinking his coffee. Vaughn didn’t touch his mug. Even in moments when he wasn’t running his mouth. Either he had an aversion to coffee, or he had higher standards for it.
I had both an aversion to him and to his higher standards.