It's always a little hard for me to come back to Charlottesville after a long break at home where I have my laundry done more often than every two weeks, the comfort of my own room and more than two feet of counter space. Usually I can muster up some enthusiasm as I drive down Route 29 because I know my roommates will be at my apartment ready to reunite and regale me with stories from their break. But coming back from this break was different - I was going to be the only one in my apartment for 48 hours.
You should know that I am somewhat paranoid. Ever since watching a little too much coverage of the Elizabeth Smart case, I have been able to freak myself out about any noise I hear after dark. I knew that to get through my time alone, I would have to ignore my fears.
When I got back to my apartment, it was weird not to be welcomed at the door by any of my roommates, as they usually beat me back. But because they weren't around, I didn't feel like I was inconveniencing anyone as I unpacked my four-months worth of belongings.
The unpacking process took me about two hours. Halfway through, however, I realized how quiet it was, and I felt myself starting to miss other people. I had just spent a month at home with my family, so I was used to constant talking and laughing. So like a little old lady, I put HGTV on in the common room and walked back to my room. Viola! Instant background noise.
Once I was unpacked, I desperately needed to go to the grocery store; the only thing left in our fridge was a box of baking soda and a rotten pepper someone had forgotten to dispose of before break. I probably went a little overboard at Harris Teeter because - for the first time ever - I did not have to fight anyone for prime freezer and fridge space. It was a bit more difficult than usual to get my groceries back upstairs because there was no one inside the kitchen to open the door for me as I lugged my $100 worth of sustenance up several flights of stairs.
Luckily, because I came back early for my sorority's recruitment workshops, I had other people to eat dinner and hang out with that evening. But instead of coming home to a full house of friends, I still came home to an apartment with five empty beds,
After dead-bolting the door and leaving on more lights than was necessary in the common room, I headed back to my room. I decided to take a shower and vowed to remove from my head the shower scene of every horror movie.
I wanted to ensure I was really tired before falling asleep so I would have less time to lie awake and listen to noises, so after watching an episode-and-a-half of Matt Saracen and company take down their rivals in "Friday Night Lights," I was asleep within five minutes.
Waking up to an empty apartment the next morning wasn't that weird because I just pretended all of my roommates were in class. The only difference was there were no dirty dishes in the sink or on the table leftover from breakfast, something I probably could get used to.
Before I left my apartment for the day, I checked more than five times to make sure I had my keys. Locking myself out of my apartment is a specialty of mine, but one of my roommates has always been able to help me out. I knew I didn't want to have to sleep on a friend's couch until my roommates got back.
When I got back from a long day at my sorority house, I decided to watch some TV while I ate dinner. After visiting a friend's apartment for a few hours, I returned to an empty apartment once again. I was longing for some socialization to keep myself from feeling too alone, and thankfully lots of people were on Facebook chat. Three hours of screen time later, I was tired enough to go to sleep.
The next day when I got back from my workshops, one of my roommates was unpacking her things. I always love seeing my roommates but I don't think I had ever been this excited. I finally had someone to eat with, to make sure I didn't lock myself out of the apartment and to watch TV with before bed.
Although the constant filling up of our dish rack, fighting about fridge space and constant need to take out the trash can be annoying at times, spending 48 hours without my roommates in my apartment showed me I enjoy having my roommates around too much to ever live alone.
Katie's column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at k.urban@cavalierdaily.com.
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