The Roommate

I’ve been rooming with Bob for two years now. He and I met about 5 years back, while we both worked at the grocery store to get through college. We were good friends from the moment we met. We had similar
interests, were both outgoing, good looking, and hated working at the grocery store.

He and I have gone through many girlfriends over the years. I even
came perilously close to marriage at one point. Through it all, he
and I have always remained best friends, double dating, surfing, and
going out.

About two years ago, it so happened that each of was re-locating, so
we decided to shack up together. We found a great deal on a flat on
Russian Hill in the City. It’s really worked out well. Being friends
doesn’t always lend itself to being roommates, but he and I have
proven to be very compatible.

About two months ago, Bob started to seem to be getting more and more
distant. I figured it probably had something to do with his new
girlfriend. This wasn’t the first time that we drifted apart due to
girlfriends. But this was a little different. Not only was he home
less, but even when he was home, things weren’t the same. He hid out
in his room a lot. He wouldn’t hang out with me and just watch TV or
anything. I never confronted him about it, I just gave him his space.

Another thing I noticed was that Bob was decidedly less aggressive, in
both his appearance and manner. He used to be very outgoing and
brash, almost obnoxiously so. But not lately. He has been avoiding
looking me in the eyes, and he never raises his voice. Since he was
avoiding me, I never really got the chance to ask him what was up.

Anyway, that would have been OK, except that it seemed to get worse.
My first reaction was just that he must be depressed and keeping a low
profile until it passed. But that wasn’t it. He began to dress
differently. To carry himself differently. He wasn’t the macho guy
anymore. He looked like some art student or something. His normally
short crew cut was growing into shoulder length hair. And he was
wearing softer clothing, trading his plaid shirts and T-shirts for
silk shirts. He was definitely changing.