A Doorknob Disappointment

For the past couple of weeks I’ve been considering and casually looking for a new apartment. Although I love my location, I’m starting to feel seriously cramped in my 10x5 foot room. I constantly feel like I need to be picking up and organizing because there is just nowhere to put anything! And, I’ll admit, I’m not the most neat and organized person, so that just makes it worse. There are also just little things that, in my desperation to get out of the hostel, I didn’t notice when I decided on my apartment. My bed sucks, for one. And it’s not even anything I can fix. It’s super squishy, to the point of feeling like all the material of the mattress has disintegrated, and I can feel springs poking into my back. Our kitchen also leaves something to be desired, with minimal counter space and grungy floors and appliances. I’m not looking for a palace, but in general I’d like to live in a newer building and in an apartment that was decorated and is kept up with a little more attention.

So that brings me to the apartment search process. This second go around has proven much more difficult and frustrating for me. I think it’s because I now have fairly specific elements I am looking for, that I simply wasn’t aware of before. For starters, I really would like to stay within a ten-block radius of where I am now. It’s just too convenient being able to walk to work to move anywhere else. Plus, I cut out transportation costs of the metro or buses. I now know to give the bed a test drive; to ask about a dryer as well as a washing machine (otherwise I’m going to be dry-cleaning everything I own that I don’t want to look like it’s two sizes too big); to ask myself whether I can see myself spending time and cooking in the kitchen; and a number of other little particulars. Given all that, it’s proven impossible thus far to find a place with everything I want!

I thought I had hit the jackpot this past week with a huge apartment (more like a house) just one metro stop up from where I am now, and still within walkable distance from my school. The room was sizable, the bed a super comfy double, and I had a private bathroom to myself. It was in my price range and the common areas were pleasant enough, the only doubt I had concerned the roommates. The woman who showed me the apartment was a forty- or fifty-something mother, and she shared the apartment with her two grown daughters. She seemed nice enough and I had a great experience living with an empty nester in Spain, but it just hadn’t been the living arrangement I had pictured for myself for my time here in Chile. Nonetheless, after my initial visit I decided to return for a second look, feel her out once more, and make my decision.

I had pretty much decided I’d take it after chatting with her for about fifteen minutes and carefully inspecting the apartment for the second time, when my potential roommate asked me a question: “Ok Megan, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you, are you a very quiet person?”

I thought about it for a second. “Well, yes, I think of myself as a pretty quiet person.”

“Oh good,” she replied, “because loud noises bother me quite a bit. And the last person was always slamming the doors.”

I guess my puzzled look tipped her off.

“Oh, let me show you what I mean,” she offered.

We walked over to my future bedroom.

“You see, he used to shut the door like this.”

She proceeded to close my bedroom door. Not slam. Not shut with force. Just close the door. Yes, it made a noise. Perhaps it’s the way the door is made or sits in the frame, or maybe it’s the particular kind of doorknob.

“But, really,” she went on, “I’d like the door to be closed like this.”

She demonstrated: “You turn the doorknob first, and then close the door softly.” “See?”

She looked at me expectantly, looking for my recognition that yes, of course, this was a much better way to close a door. Alarms were blaring in my head at that moment. PSYCHO. OBSESSIVE. YOU DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO WALK AROUND QUIET AS A MOUSE IN YOUR HOUSE. But, I simply nodded and smiled, “Claro, claro” (of course, of course), “that makes perfect sense. That’s a much better way.”

I was out of there thirty seconds later, having promised to call her later that day about when to bring my money by for the deposit.

Do you think that happened?