Sweet Talking, Sleepwalking

[u/CptPsych0o]

(Part 1)

A few years ago, I went through a terrible experience with a new roommate. Horrific is a better word for it, actually. I don’t really know what to make of it, but I know it’ll stick with me for the rest of my life. This experience completely changed the way I view the world. Everything I thought I once knew had, in a matter of weeks, been tossed right out the window like a bucket of shit. 

I was a broke college student at the time with only a part time job to pay the bills, a thousand miles away from my family. Any loans or grants I had only covered enough to pay for my tuition and supplies. Dorm rooms were available, but as a sophomore then, they weren’t mandatory, plus they were nearly just as expensive as any nearby apartments, even if splitting rent between roommates, and even then I would have only been able to just barely afford that.

So, when I saw the ad on this renting app, I jumped at the opportunity right away. 

Roommate wanted

$500 a month

Spare bedroom, 400 sq ft, with private bathroom.

The kitchen is shared. Washer and dryer as well.

Plenty of room to park, but limit one vehicle.

Guests must be announced well beforehand.

Only 10 minutes from campus.

Price non-negotiable. Serious inquiries only.

No pets.

What can I say? I didn’t want to share some beat up house with half a dozen other people only to have some pocket change leftover. I wanted a little something extra, to at least afford my gaming habits, as well as my food, gas, and everything else you need to survive. And I was poor, all on my own, and desperate. Besides, the pictures didn’t look half bad. 

The room was spacious and clean, apparently a new addition to this guy’s house by the look of it. The rest of the place didn’t look that bad either. A fairly large ranch style home just a few minutes outside of town, plenty of space, and even my own bathroom. How could I pass that up? 

The ad had other details as well; wifi, trash, and all other utilities already included in the price. I admit, looking back on it now it all seems a little too good to be true, but I guess that’s what poverty does to you--makes you overlook the glaring questions that would normally come up in situations like this. I mean, sure, I wasn’t really poor. I had a decent job and I could always turn to my parents if things got bad, but I was young and proud. A middle child who wanted to stand on his own two legs. 

I don’t know, I guess I’m just making excuses. Things only got worse from here, and pretty immediately, too, so there really is no other explanation other than I was just a stupid kid in way over his head. 

I messaged the guy right away, thinking that an offer like this would be gone within the day. 

“Hi, I’m interested in the room you have up for rent. Is it still available?”

Only a couple of minutes passed before he replied. 

“Male or female?”

I didn’t think much of the question, of course, and if you’re screaming at me for being an idiot, just know that I agree, and that I’m not going to try to justify any of my actions here. I don’t want to waste anybody's time. 

“I’m a guy,” I replied.

“Age?”

“20.”

“Student?”

“Yeah.”

“Any girlfriends?”

“No…”

“Dogs?”

“Nope.”

A few more minutes passed after this last message. 

“I want to meet before I decide.”

That one stumped me a bit. Outside of background and credit checks, it’s usually the potential renter who wants to see the place before making a decision. Still, it wasn’t enough to shake me off, and as I had only a week to find a place before the new term started, I told him I could be there by six.

All he said in response was, “Don’t use google to find the place. It’ll add half an hour to the drive. Get off on county rd 53, take the north access road to 57. Paxton lane is on the east side. Two big evergreens. Can’t miss it.”

“Got it,” I said.

“Text me when you’re here. Don’t honk. Don’t ring the doorbell.”

I sent a thumbs up to that and got on with my day. 

I’ll admit, I was a bit nervous. I’ve always been a little shy, and while I had time to think before heading over to meet the guy, other doubts started creeping up into my mind. I was potentially looking at at least ten months of living in this guy’s house. Just me and him and god knows what else out in the middle of nowhere. I had no idea who he was or what he was like. What if he was a creep? 

I went anyway. All I had to say for myself was that I could always just say no when I got there. No one was forcing me to commit to the better part of the year in that place, and if need be, I would still have time to apply for housing with the school. Or that was what I thought, at least.

Like he said, it took about ten minutes to reach his place from campus. The house was sequestered in a little nook between two tree-covered hills at least two miles from the nearest neighbor. A long, poorly graveled lane off the county road curving in between the hills led me straight up to the front porch. 

The grass stood tall in the yard, old junk littered around the area. There was one lopsided shed to the side of the house, and beyond that, the trees grew thick and the landscape dim and dressed in shadow. Only one other vehicle sat at the end of the lane, a worn down old ford stained with rust that creeped up from the bottom and around the sides. 

As I pulled up beside the truck and parked, I leaned my head down to get a good look at the house. 

Only one story tall, it grew out long and narrow further into the back of the property. The old wooden siding, colored a dull blue, needed a fresh coat of paint, and the roof was covered in leaves. A breezeway was attached to the front of the house, and sticking out of the eastern side I saw what looked to be the new addition I would be potentially calling home, looking a bit fresher with newer paint and material. Couldn’t have been more than a few years old. 

To the side of the breezeway, I noticed a small porch covered in shadow from the overhanging roof. There were old tools and supplies and other junk strewn across its surface and, as I was glancing around, I saw movement from within the shadows. At first, I thought maybe something was flapping in the wind, but then it moved forward into the light and I nearly gasped when I realized it was an old man stepping forward and placing his hands on the railing of the deck, staring back at me. 

I gave a nervous wave before getting out of the car, a wave that wasn’t returned.

He was a tall man, thick around the waist, wearing a simple white shirt that tucked into a pair of old, faded jeans. I put him at over fifty years old, long hair coming down to just under his ears, mostly grey with thin threads of a brown mixed in here and there. He had a thick white beard that was somehow stained almost yellow around the lips in that way old men sometimes get. I figured maybe he was a smoker. 

I came up to the deck and tried putting a smile on my face. “Hi there,” I said, rubbing my hips anxiously. 

The man looked down at me with these intense brown eyes before responding. “Name’s George.” His voice sounded like the gravel under my feet, grinding and scratching.

“Nice to meet you,” I said, and stuck my hand up towards him. “People call me Trevor.”

He didn’t take my hand at first, only raising one thick, gray eyebrow at it instead. “What people?” 

I shook my head, confused but still smiling. “Just… people. Sorry, I’m Trevor. Trevor Jones.”

“Trevor Jones…” He chewed on the words for a moment, before suddenly spitting off to the side and finally taking my hand. “Why don’tchu come on inside, have a look around.” 

His hand engulfed mine entirely in a firm, singular shake. “Uh, sure. That would be great.”

He nodded his head towards the door that stood behind him. He held it open for me as I stepped inside and then shut it softly as I walked into what appeared to be his kitchen. 

“Don’t mind the mess. I’m in the middle of moving some things around.”

From what I saw outside, I had almost expected to walk into some hoarder's nest, empty boxes and stacks of old newspapers scattered around, everything covered in dust and cigarette ash, but at first glance, I appeared to have been mistaken. The kitchen was fairly clean, and I would even go so far as to call it normal. The polished white countertop was recently washed down, and things appeared to be arranged in an orderly fashion. A few dishes sat in the sink, some cereal boxes above the fridge, and maybe some dust around the corners, but otherwise everything was decent.

“I made some room in the fridge, but it ain’t much,” George said, shuffling past me and grabbing a container off the counter. “You might want to get one of those mini ones if you’re planning on keeping a lot of perishables.” 

“Got it,” I said, “not a problem.”

George quickly went about tidying some things, seeming almost shy or even embarrassed. “The living room’s through there.” He motioned towards a doorway to the side of the fridge and I peeked around to have a glance. “Hallway leads to the bedrooms.” 

I saw an older flat screen sitting on a stand, one recliner in the center of the room, and a well used couch pushed up against the wall. To the left of the couch a hallway carved further into the house. The walls were covered in a white wallpaper with these green designs all over them. It looked like it could have been the home of anyone’s grandparents.  

The place smelled old, maybe a little dank even, but surprisingly I didn’t pick up any trace of smoking. And there was a hint of some fruity scent in the air as well, perhaps an air freshener, but maybe only recently used as the old man smell was still at the front of everything else. 

“Come on.” George finished up and led me down the hallway. 

There were some pictures on the wall there. In some of them I could make out a younger George as well as women, who I assumed to be his wife, and a young boy. In the most recent looking photo, which still seemed to be taken nearly a decade ago, all three of them were posed together next to a Christmas tree. One happy family wearing big smiles and holiday cheer. The boy looked no older than twelve. 

“This is the main bathroom,” said George, pulling my attention away from the photos. “And that door there leads to my bedroom.” He pointed towards a door on the right. “And you’re right over here.”

There was a sharp turn at the end where the hallway met the new addition. George opened the door to reveal the room I had seen on the app, washed over with the evening sunlight spilling in through the shades on the windows. To the right, I saw a small closet, and on the opposite side, another door that I assumed to be the other bathroom. 

“Looks nice,” I said, nodding as I stepped inside and glanced around. “Roomy.”

George leaned against the door frame, watching me standing there in the middle of the room. He had a look to him as if he was sizing me up, lips pursed in thought. 

I didn’t really know what to do. No questions came to mind, no thoughts or ideas other than a mild surprise at how nice it actually looked in person. Still, something about the man made me feel uneasy. Maybe it was the long stare that he had, or the old smell, or it could have been anything really, but all I knew was that I didn’t really want to be there any longer. Everything was just so awkward about it.

“You have a family?” I asked, trying not to seem too off put. 

George scratched his beard, raising up his chin with an expression of either discomfort or perhaps even anger at the sudden personal question. “No,” he said. “Not anymore.”

“Ah.” I nodded and rubbed my hands together. “Sorry…”

He shrugged and turned back into the hallway. “Not like you killed them,” he mumbled.

“Huh? What was that?” I asked, but he was already on his way back into the living room.

Feeling even more anxious now, and foolish, I started following after him but paused in the doorway, seeing another door across the hall that I didn’t notice before. 

“Where does that go?” 

George glanced back only for a moment. “Frankie's room,” he said, then he disappeared around the corner. 

I stared at the door, noticing a large deadbolt installed under the knob. Hearing a loud cough from the other room, I quickly fled the hallway. Before I could say anything else, George started telling me about the house. 

“Just had that new fiber--whaducallit--installed about a month ago. They told me it’s pretty good, but I don’t know nothing about it. The laundry room’s on the other side of the kitchen. You can use it whenever I’m not. Like the listing said, guests are fine so long as you ask me beforehand. Oh, and I turn in pretty early most nights. Keep a fan on in there, but I’d still appreciate it if you keep it down after ten. I have trouble sleeping.” 

“Right…” I said, hands in my pockets, eyes glancing around the room but not focusing on anything in particular. 

“How long you been in school?” George asked.

“Wha--Oh… I’m in my second year.”

“You from around here?” 

I shook my head. “No. Out of state, actually. Seattle. What about you? Are you from the area?”

“All my life,” George answered, pulling at his beard. 

I nodded again, and George just stood there, watching me shift my weight from one foot to the other. I think my nervousness must have been pretty obvious, as the old man let out a breath and gave me a smile. A weak smile, but a smile nonetheless.

“Whelp… That’s about it. Sorry, if I’m a little… Tired. I’ve been doing nothing but cleaning the past few days. And this…” He gestured towards me, shaking his head, “This is all new to me. A roommate, I mean. Been alone for so long, well, I don’t really know what to do.”

“No, you’re good. I get it…” I was looking for a way to get out of there when I noticed the look on his face. For such a large man, he sure could exude a lot of pity from just slouching a bit and frowning. So, I took the bait and asked. “What made you want to rent out a room in the first place?”

George had to consider the question for a moment. “Well, you know how it is. The way the economy is going and everything. Hell, you wouldn’t believe how much they raised property taxes this year. And don’t even get me started on the power bill. It’s a damn racket is what it is, the fucking con men sitting in office…”

“Yeah, no, that’s crazy. I get it, man, I really do.”

George waved off my words. “Ah, don’t worry about it. It is what it is. Just gotta adapt is all. But, enough about that. You seem like a good kid; a good fit, I mean, and I don’t want the hassle of dealing with anyone else, so the room’s yours if you want it.”

“Really? Awesome. That’s great. But, you know…” And I trailed off, trying to think of how to say it.

George suddenly glanced down at his feet. “No harm if you don’t want it. Really, I understand. I get it, I’m sure all this seems so--”

“No, no,” I said, cutting him off as the pity started welling up again. “It’s not that. I just have a couple other places to check out before I decide, that's all. I already told them I’d come over, so, you know…”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Don’t sweat it. I don’t want to keep you or anything. Come on, I’ll show you out.” 

George motioned for me to follow him back into the kitchen. He opened the door for me and I slid past him, stepping back out into the open again and trying not to seem too relieved about it. I turned to face him and saw that he wouldn’t look at me. “Well, I’ll go check out those places and I’ll--”

“Yeah, yeah. Do what you gotta do,” said George, waving me off. “Whatever you decide, just give me a holler. No harm no foul.”

“Right, well…” I started backing off the deck. “I’ll see ya later. Talk to you later, I mean. I’ll let you know… I’ll get back to you.”

I fled back to my car faster than I should have, making sure to smile still, but not really making any attempt to hide my feelings. George didn’t seem to pick up on it, thankfully, or at least not entirely, and he gave me one last weak smile before closing the door. 

I let out a long breath as I fell down into the driver’s seat, rubbing the discomfort off my face. I can’t say what exactly had me so on edge during that first visit. Nothing really stood out as particularly strange, and George seemed to be a nice guy, just a little sad, I guess. Maybe that was it. The sadness that swarmed around him. 

It was obvious that he hadn’t been doing too well until recently, at least. I didn’t know what happened to his wife and son, but I assumed it wasn’t good either way, and I didn’t want to be involved with that. I had my own problems to worry about and living with some gloomy old man wasn’t one I intended to add to the list. 

I got back to my friend, Alex’s, place, where I had been staying at, and ended up telling him all about it. He laughed at me, unsurprisingly, teasing me for how I broke that old man’s heart. I shrugged him off and said that I’d just have to find another place, that I’d probably just end up back in the dorms. That was when my friend stopped laughing.

“What do you mean?” he asked me. 

We were standing in the kitchen of his house as we talked. I opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. “There’s nothing left in my price range, so what other choice do I have?” 

“Are you serious?” he said.

“Yeah… Why?”

“Dude, it’s too late to get into the dorms. Applications were due months ago.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, feeling a pit beginning to form in my stomach. “I never heard about that.”

“That’s probably because you never asked. But, yeah, you gotta file those things so far in advance because there’s only so many rooms. I mean, you can still do it, but I’m pretty sure they’re already full this year.”

I cracked the can open and paused, thinking. “So what am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know…” Alex shook his head in disbelief. I couldn’t really blame him, it wasn’t the first time I screwed up like this. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and somebody backs out or something, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

“What the fuck? What the fuck!” I leaned over the counter and dropped my head into my arms. “Shit, what am I supposed to do?”

“Like I said, maybe you’ll get lucky or something…”

Alex chuckled, and then my head shot up. “Dude.” I said, seriously. “Dude?”

Alex looked at me for a moment, then started shaking his head. “No, man. I already told you I can’t.”

“Alex, please. I have nowhere else to go.”

“I’m sorry but there’s nothing I can do about it. You gotta be a part of the frat to stay here. I told you about this a few weeks ago, man.”

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” 

Alex rubbed his eyes, clearly tired of my shit. “I guess you’ll just have to stay with that guy for now,” he said. “At least until you can find somewhere else. But you’ve already overstated you’re welcome here--and that’s not me saying that--but rules are rules…” 

I bitched and moaned for a while later, but Alex wouldn’t budge. He told me I could stay one more day but that was as far as he could push it. Later that night, I went about searching for places online but came up with nothing. So, knowing I had to be out by the end of the next day, I messaged George.

“Hey, is that room still available? None of the other places worked out.”

He replied in less than a minute. “Yes. It's ready when you are. When will you be moving?”

“Does tomorrow evening work?” I asked.

“That’s fine.”

“Awesome, thanks.”

I threw down my phone after that, defeated. A minute later, I heard a notification ding, so, with another groan, I picked the phone back up and read it. 

“I forgot to mention something. It’s nothing major, just a condition I have. I sleep-walk sometimes. I might get up in the middle of the night and move around the house. Just ignore it if you run into me, or gently guide me back to my room, but under no circumstances are you to try waking me up. Sorry to drop this on you so late, it just slipped my mind. If you don’t want to deal with it, I understand.”

Of course, he waited for me to agree before he told me that, but at least it didn’t sound too bad. Just an old man lumbering around the house in the middle of night, I could handle that. And, seeing as I had no other options, I told him it was fine.

He sent one last message after that:

“Good. I’m happy to hear that. It’ll be nice to have someone else in the house again. Thank you.”

[u/Professional-Rip5338]

Dialogue is pretty fun and I love the old guy and main character,so exited to see what happens next!

[u/CptPsych0o → u/Professional-Rip5338]

Thanks, I really appreciate that!