Different Views(Marla) I was so glad to be home. It had been a long day at work. I was looking forward to a hot shower, using the special (and pricey) body scrub I’d recently received. With any luck, my roommate would be done cooking her own meal in the kitchen by the time I was out of the shower. If she was, (and if she hadn’t used my skillet) I would be able to use the stove to make a grilled cheese sandwich. I love grilled cheese. It’s simple and delicious.

I opened the door. I could hear Mel in the kitchen. Good. Perhaps she was nearly done. I removed my shoes and started making my way to my room.

“Oh, hey! I’m making dinner, Riley!” Mel called.

Not good. Riley and I grew up in entirely different regions of the country. We have very different tastes.

“It’s a new recipe! I’ve been in here for forty-five minutes!”

“Hi, Mel! I’m just going to hop in the shower,” I answered.

“Oh! Okay. That should be fine. It still has a few minutes.”

Well, wonderful. Now my shower had to be quick. And there would be no grilled cheese. How could I tell Mel that I didn’t want whatever she’d made? I showered quickly and in a short time was setting plates on the tiny table that we shared.

The meal was strange. Some sort of pasta salad, something with chicken and artichokes, and a bread that I'd never tried before. Nothing was bad, it wasn’t as though Mel could not cook. It just wasn’t something that I would ever really want. I was exhausted, I had a paper to write, and I couldn’t sit and chat over a meal. “Thank you for sharing your dinner. You did a good job. I’m sorry, but I can’t be very good company tonight. I have to finish that paper,” I said as I stood up and took my plate to the kitchen. I washed my plate and silverware and then dried them and put them away. That much, at least, I could do. I tried not to look at the disaster in the kitchen. Mel wasn’t the clean-as-you-go type.

“I’ll see you in the morning, Mel. Thanks again.” I said before I went to my room. Already, I regretted eating the meal. It had been heavy, even though I hadn’t had a lot of it. I tried to fight off the irritation I had for Mel. Why hadn’t she texted or called and asked me if I wanted to eat together? But I didn’t want to show my irritation. Mel had obviously been excited to try the new recipe. Maybe this was something to discuss later. I sat down at my computer, got out my notes, and started to type.

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I set out my groceries, excited to try the new recipe. I decided to make plenty, enough to share with my roommate, Riley. Riley seriously needed to branch out a bit with her food choices. Anyone over twenty who still ate grilled cheese had a problem. But it would be fine. I’d help her. With time, she’d have a more sophisticated palate.

I’d worked for forty-five minutes before I heard the door. Good, she was home.

“Hey, I’m making dinner, Riley!” I called. Best to tell her now, so she doesn’t come in here when I’m cooking. I know that we share the rent, but I like to think of the kitchen as mine.

“It’s a new recipe! I’ve been in here for forty-five minutes!”

“I’m just going to hop in the shower,” Riley responded.

“Oh! Okay. That should be fine. It still has a few minutes.” I was a bit miffed that she wasn’t more excited about the meal, but I held back the urge to tell her that she should show some gratitude.

After her shower, she set the table for both of us. Well, good. She showed some manners there. Maybe she’s not altogether hopeless.

I ate the food and waited for Riley to comment. She seemed very tired. Then, to my astonishment, she thanked me (and said I’d done well) and got up and washed only her stuff! The nerve! I don’t care if she has some stupid paper to write. It’s not my fault that she has both work and school. For goodness’ sake, can she not see the mess in the kitchen? I used so many pans and utensils to make this meal! You know what they say - a messy cook is a good cook. Well, great, she gets to traipse off to her room and type, with a belly full of delicious food, while I, after cooking, have to go clean everything up! I am fuming. We need to have a talk.

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