It was around 9.30 in the morning. My room mate, whom I am acquainted for only about two weeks now, gave me a wake up call. I said I will shower and get ready in ten minutes. We had a plan to visit a few properties around Coventry to hunt a house for him on a temporary basis. A short visit to the recent past. Sep 18th 2010. He was homeless, after he returned from his brief vacation to Indian subcontinent. My land lord has always lent his helping hands to people looking out for a short stay. He allowed my acquaintance to share the bed room with mine, bearing in mind the temporary contract. Normally in England, the land lords are pretty stringent with accommodating guests for a night in single bed room apartments. I was even given a A4 sheet to read and agree to the terms and conditions listed on that printed contract paper. Erstwhile before, I had only witnessed "Terms and conditions" on applications in online portfolios and web-sites. I was surprised to evince the professionalism displayed by owners in renting a house to a tenant. I thought, should all this be so formal and directive?. No more, as I am now typing this blog, about which you will figure out when you proceed further. The charge for a night is 10£ per person, even the person with whom you intend to share a night is your friend or family or whatever name you could associate under the tree of relationships. As I compromised my half-room space already to one of my course mates, I had to let this room mate as a third one into my room, thus I could only use 1/3 rd of my total bed room area, which is about 200 Sq.ft. Fine as he had no other choice other than a pot bench in a park, I let him into my room. I spoke with my owner and updated him about the rental amount, after he agreed to the fact that three of us share the bed - room, thus reducing my original rent to roughly a third of what I used to pay him for a single tenant accommodation. He agreed, keeping in mind that I am helping my friends in times of despair. He is a genuine, rational land lord for someone of his education and financial background. I still remember, when he used to ask me very often "Sud, you look a bit stressed?..Are you doing alright?..!! ". I would say "yes" and move on, as we had a lot of things to move, shift, dispose and ward-off. Now the fact is that even though I have guests in my room, who should pay 10£ per night (around 200£ for 20 nights) daily as per contractual terms, my land lord offered a stay to my room mate, having him to spend about 40 £ for a week, including bills and other charges. Now after all this talks I had with my owner, I had put everything in picturesque shape for my lately moved room mate as a friendly obligation. Honestly, I didn't charge him for Toilet tissues, Washing liquids, room-cleaning expenses and allied costs. (This sentence might sound lame, but you will have to wait and read till the end) It was all laid out smooth. As with friends, I love to go that extra mile to sought out the best for them as every one else in my position would do. Fine. Present time. Sep 28th 2010. We both were casually chatting up about the day that we went to look around properties for him. He owed me some money, about 6£, which I asked only because, to me any thing above 5£ is good money to stay cautious in collecting back. I follow the same discipline when I owe some one anything above 5£. Now out of the blue, he asked me a question, which was a shocking embarrassment and a brief lesson for people, whom, I consider as being treated like a swat. He asked "OK. I WILL GIVE YOU BACK THAT 6£, BUT CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT 45p (This is like a 45 paise in India) THAT YOU OWE ME FOR THAT MENTOS PACK I GOT YOU ? COULD YOU SUBTRACT IT AND TELL ME HOW MUCH I OWE YOU?". I felt petrified and collapsed after that subtly inconsiderate question. I thought to myself, I really have to learn to be weary like my preacher turned room mate. I was disturbed to an extent that I started to open an excel sheet to record and maintain almost every penny of money I spend for these people, who break your routine with candid brain-storming questions, which are sometimes not even closer to being answered. But then I thought, there are people like the one here, who just forget to cost their expense on others, but stay awkwardly shrewd to remind others on their expenses. I became Mad after that Mentos question. The next time, when I go to a candy shop, I cannot get a mentos pack, only because now 45p sounds like a colossal expenditure to me. I had been so rich to spend hefty, when I forgot to pay back 45p and remained a credit-payer.
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