domingo, 27 de julio de 2008

naked roommate

It started with boxers. If you're playing strip poker, and you start in boxers, well, it'll be a short game. Madrid in the summer is like playing strip poker, all the time. It's hot. Not New York hot, where you feel like the air is crushing you and everyone and everything are stickier than the counters of cheap diners. It's nice "dry" heat...all the time, mere inches (or dare I say, centimeters) from the sun. Looking at the weather has begun to get a little boring. Day after day of sun and 90+ degree heat stretched as far as the eye can see. It looks like a menu featuring only sunny-side up eggs. This heat wave known as "summer in Spain" might explain lack of clothes in the streets, at the pools, or in my apartment. People deal with the heat in their own ways. Most leave. To beat the heat, my roommate has gone commando. It's not really a new development. On the first day that I moved in, I walked into the kitchen to see him standing at the sink in boxers. All hairy, and thirty-plus, a sight usually reserved for the Jersey shore, not my kitchen. I should have realized that on day 1, when someone is comfortable enough to walk around in just boxers, clothes have been shelved. At first, I just figured he didn't realize I had moved in. I did my little apology (Lo siento!) with the polite averted glance, problem solved. Then I realized it was all the time. After a few awkward encounters, I got used to it. What else should I do? I mean, a pleasant sight, not really. But hey. It's hot, it's his apartment, he's comfortable, I'm American and therefore uncomfortable and awkward with nudity. Which explains my reaction to him chilling in his room, in the nude, door open. The first time this happened, my reaction was "Is he naked!?!?!?!" Because, somehow, it was not completely and totally clear to me. For motives I cannot recall, I started a conversation with him. Mistake. I looked at the floor, the door frame, the window, my feet, the ceiling. At this point, he probably thinks I have restless eye syndrome. Or at least awkward American syndrome. Symptons include nervous giggling, aversion to direct gazes, wearing clothes, and a higher than normal discomfort level with European shamelessness. It's not a life-threatening condition, but high levels of nudity should be avoided until the symptons are under control.

6 comentarios:

Anna dijo...

jajaj ooooo. hairy indeed. is that why you couldnt tell initially that he was naked?
when are you going to add pictures to your blog?

Anónimo dijo...

It's not until you walk into him sitting naked in YOUR room that you need to be concerned, until then I say it's fair game.

Sam Scholz dijo...

He does go outside once in a while aye, not just home naked, I'm not much for clothes, myself in the summer time. It does get tought to hang the curtains, a chance to display, the curtains that is.

Unknown dijo...
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Traci in NJ dijo...

Abi - I feel for you having to endure such visions (especially with the 30+ frame) - but keep your chin up (pun intended) as winter is coming! Are you homesick yet? Keep the giggles coming - it's great work! And, I wish I would have paid more attention to Senora Cox in Spanish class. Traci

mojoman dijo...

Ouch, maybe you should be wearing dark sunglasses inside when you talk to him, or, get a pair of those x-ray glass vision they used to sell in the old comic books, they might work in reverse when you look at someone in the buff........