Just as the saying goes, "cleanliness is next to godliness". I will say that my strength and resilience lay in making where I am clean. I'm so obsessed with it that I make sure everything is neatly done. When I entered University, I had a roommate named Couture.
She's this lazy type who cleans only when she sees her last neat dress is the one she's putting on. Breaking down my daily chores into portions from sweeping and mopping our space, washing my used clothes, cleaning the dusty surfaces and organizing my belongings among others had given me this sense of purpose and mental tranquility.
Knowing that my property is well arranged helps me focus, relax and tackle other challenges. It was our first year in the university and the exam was fast approaching when I got a call from home that my father was sick. At that moment, I needed something that would help me get this off my mind. The only thing was engaging myself daily on cleaning activities. Instead of Couture to assist in keeping our apartment clean, she would rather mess it up just seconds after I must have had it arranged. Being a dirty type, the condition of the house wasn't her problem.
The news left me broken and my roommate wasn't the type that cares. Her attitudes most times leave me with thoughts of how some people can be so unemotional. I told my mum I will return home as the news came unexpectedly.
Before I made my arrangements for the visit, I made sure I tidied up the whole apartment and our passage. All my roommate does is sit and either watch movies with her legs on the sofa, chat with her friends, watch comic videos or try to distract me with conversations and I hated conversing while working mostly cleaning up. I could get distracted easily or end up not doing a clean job.
Source
The week came and I told my friend I would be traveling to see my family. She bid me farewell and I jokingly told her to keep the house neat. I have been condoning her unkempt lifestyle because I didn't want to bring in a misunderstanding between us.
I got home and my father was really sick and had been taken to the hospital. In all my two weeks in the hospital, I made sure my dad's ward smelled and looked different. I made sure I cleaned his private ward as often as possible, washed and changed his bed linens as we came with extra bed linens.
The doctors were amazed and commended my effort and clean lifestyle. To me, I saw it to be a natural thing and every girl's responsibility. After two weeks, my dad was discharged from the hospital with different drugs to take home.
After my two weeks, I had to go and prepare for my school exams and make up for missed classes and assignments. But the most joyful thing was that my father was getting better.
I left my home at 7AM to pack and we drove off at 8AM. I arrived at my apartment a few minutes past 2PM. Excited from the whole journey, I expected to see the apartment in the state that will give me inner peace as I do whenever I finish tidying up the apartment.
On the other hand, I was so angry that I had to speak out to Couture in a very angry tone. The room was so unkempt, packs of crackers and cookies were all left in different corners of the room, drops of noodles she ate were on the floor, the plates that looked used for days were in the sitting room with the noodles plate and two of her outing dresses were on the sofa.
Couture, if I had known you had this untidy habit, I wouldn't have agreed to live with you in the same apartment. How can a female and grown up find comfort in uncleanliness. It's becoming unbearable, imagine I walked in with someone now, is this what the person would have witnessed?
I spoke angrily, not minding how loud my voice was and who was outside hearing.
Please!! Mind your business as I'm trying my best to mind mine. We both paid for this apartment. If you choose to make cleaning your favorite duty, don't get tired of it and don't bring me into it. It's your problem not mine.
She said angrily and slammed the door behind me and that was how the fight started.
For days she refused to answer my calls and her way about was unknown to me. I got scared and decided to call Sam, her boyfriend and he told she paid him a visit. I was relieved. I went for an evening lecture and on getting home, I found out the house was open and I knew Couture was back. Maybe Sam found out what happened and asked her to come back.
Immediately she walked in, I wanted to apologize cause I knew I sounded so harsh. But instead she said:
I'm sorry for my reaction. I took it so personally without taking some time to see the meaning in what you were saying. My boyfriend complained about the same thing and I'm ready to turn over a new leaf.
Couture and I began doing the cleaning chores together. Couture learnt that cleanliness is indeed next to godliness as she felt a sense of control and ability to be more organized. With our friendship rekindled and doing the tasks together came the feeling of excitement and I lived my life to the fullest with what I look to do most.
THE END
I AM @marynn,
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