I guess I got my wish. With 2 more new patients in just 2 days the beds are filling up and rooms are getting switched around. Jeanette broke down saying her goodbyes in Community Meeting today and her beautiful French accent was apparent even through her tears. Having grown up in Paris she is now 24 and has been making her way in New York for almost 3 years now, going to school and actually working in a different part of Columbia’s research building.

Thursday is her last day and she has already packed up most of her room. It takes a few minutes for her to catch her breath and her voice warbles when she does so, but through it all she is still able to express, even while explaining that she can’t find the right words, how immensely thankful she is for this program. Elle, who will be moving out of our room and into Jeanette’s single bedroom once shes gone, puts her hand on Jeanettes shoulder. No one can say that bonds haven’t been made here.

Once Elle leaves I will be figuring out cohabitation with a new roommate for about 6 days or so, until Carrina goes home as well. At that point I will be moving into the twin of Elle’s new room. The two bedrooms are smaller than the doubles but have more than enough space for one person. Once I move Elle will be in the room next door and we will be sharing the bathroom that links the suites together.

I definitely got lucky having my awesome roomie...

Its going to be a bit hard losing her as a roommate since we have grown so accustomed to each other and work in a balance of quirks and moods but at least I’ll be getting my own place in the end. It will be nice to have that extra privacy and she’ll still, at least, be near by for the occasional late night chat.

When I first got here, if I had been asked, I would have probably voted Elle as the person I would be least likely to really become friends with. She was very quiet and seemed to regard me with, what I thought at the time was, contempt. I read her silence as though I was an annoyance to her. Something like a gnat on a balmy summer night. As it turned out that was just me though, my mind jumping to assumption, thinking that whatever anyone’s problem is it must have something to do with me. Elle has a quality of neatness that is consistent with OCD. The compulsion to organize and color-coordinate her perfectly folded laundry is the same one that insists she eats things in a certain order and doesn’t allow her to pick up food with her hands. Recently she has been doing much better at mealtimes but, when I first met her, it was these issues of her own plaguing her that caused my misguided interpretation.

At the age of 29 Elle is the proud head manager of a large clothing store. Its a chain store and her branch is located in Seattle where she lives with her Shih tzu puppy, Sisko. Born in Guatemala and adopted into the US as a baby she has lived in Washington most of her life. She stands at least 4 inches taller than me and has an amazing fashion sense that i have found completely suits her the more I get to know her. She is a lesbian and constantly gels her short black hair into various styles of mohawk-esque spikiness but her clothes are more femenine than the items I have hanging in my own closet. She pays pique attention to picking outfits and matching jewelry, somehow wearing whatever the choice comes to for the day with comfort and grace.

A roommate classic.

She is unique. Its something about the way she carries herself in front of others. There is a strength and determination of almost stoic relentlessness behind her dark eyes and yet, when she opens up, shes got a beautiful laugh and an astounding singing voice. I like our late night talks and I’m glad she feels she can confide in me. It just goes to show that sometimes the people you least expect can make the biggest difference.