When I was living in the burbs, there was a very smart, very beautiful girl asked me to get an apartment with her. The idea was that we get a comfortable two-bedroom outside of the downtown core and spend the next couple of years there. We didn't know each other very well, but we had a few common friends who had known each of us for many years, and we had gotten along very well from the first moment we met. We went apartment hunting and very quickly found something on the West end that suited both our needs. We moved in, and the next two weeks were awesome. I didn't really have much furniture, but she had lots. She didn't really have much computer gear, but I had lots. We shared, it was good.

Thing is, the plan had a few minor flaws. I had not been her first choice for a roommate. Her first choice was her boyfriend. He hadn't agreed to move in with her because he was more interested in living at his parents house and saving money. I don't think she had ever really intended to be my roommate any longer than it took to make him nervous and rethink his decision. The second flaw was that my very close friend had been crushing on this girl for years. Before accepting her invitation to move in with her, I made some lame attempts to persuade her to move in with my friend, but ultimately I didn't really care that much. Somehow I have since been forgiven for this horrible act of betrayal. The third and most dangerous flaw was that I had a terrible crush on her.

So, I came home one night after spending the weekend out of town on business, and I am greeted with the news that she will be moving out tomorrow to get a place with her boyfriend. A new roommate had been selected to sublet while I was away, and he would be moving in at the start of the next month. I couldn't believe it.

This left me with two less friends than before, and one more broken heart. There was now a great distance between myself and my suburban friends, no furniture in my apartment but for a dresser and single mattress. I discovered that loneliness makes a sound, and it's very loud when your empty apartment echoes. After two weeks in a bare apartment, I had a stranger living in the next room that turned out to be a terrible roommate (but a good friend).

What did I learn from this painful experience?

I'm planning to move in with a very smart, very beautiful girl this summer. We're gonna get a place just outside of the downtown core, maybe a nice two-bedroom above a store in the West end. I'm very excited. I've known her for a couple of years now, and we get along well. This time around there is no boyfriend involved, and there are no close friends that I know of that have been pining for her for years. I hope this time everything works well.