Sookie & Mister

  I have strangest roommates. They are an oddball pair, middle aged, both pudgy around the middle rather on the lazy side. He is mellow, most of the time being as chill as Buddha, while she is high strung and often demanding.

Somehow, they have made it through as a committed couple for the better part of ten years, with a few mild domestic altercations here and there, but nothing I felt I had to call the police about.

I met them both in 2008, knowing absolutely nothing about them, but I needed a pair of roommates and their photograph on the online ad looked nice.

I took a chance and drove to the home they were soon to vacate and picked them up. He was cool about the whole thing, and got into the car with no fuss, while she was all drama – freaking out, crying, getting a bit physical. Oh boy, this should be interesting!

So, it took them a while to settle in, as is often the way with new roommates, but if you give it time you will get to know them and appreciate them (and their funny quirks). You will have likely have some awesome buddies, as I now have. Sure, some days I have to clean up some unpleasant messes, separate an escalating verbal dispute before it gets worse or run to the store if they have run out of their favorite snack, but their friendship is something I can always count on.

When we met Mister, he had another name but that went with his old life, so that was quickly forgotten and he simply goes by Mister now. His needs are few. Give him some dinner, a peaceful place to sleep and a clean bathroom – yeah, he is really particular about that – and he is content.

He enjoys the quiet life of a semi-retired gentleman – bird watching and strolls around the garden.

Sookie is her name. Brunette with some random streaks of other colors, green eyes, a nervous little thing who can be sugar sweet one minute and loud and bossy the next. It’s all about Sookie, we often say.  She has been known to be pushy and a quite demanding, and the limits to Mister’s nearly limitless patience get stretched until sometimes he snaps.

Yeah, these domestic melees aren’t pretty, but counseling is not the answer, neither is the law, so I just try to deal with them the best way I can, as a good friend of both of the concerned parties.

They usually start the same way with Mister minding his own business, perhaps watching the autumn leaves fall outside the window or getting ready for bed, when the missus decides he should be paying attention to her. Not taking no for an answer, she will place herself well within his personal space, look him dead in the eye and wait.

If that doesn’t get her the results she was looking for, she will give Mister a little shove. He backs up. She shoves him again, then that’s it, all the Zen evaporates and Mister starts smacking Sookie! Off she goes, running to the dining room to hide, and he is left sitting by himself wondering what the hell just happened?

Then all is quiet again. Peace restored. Until tomorrow, that is, until Sookie has forgotten that Mister likes to be left alone sometimes, and that selfish bratty behavior will get you a smack in the head every time.

I often compare her to Dory, the forgetful little fishy from Finding Nemo.

Yet they love each other. Or as I sometimes say, she really, really looooooves him and he just tolerates her extremely well.

The best moments are when you find the frequently scrappy duo curled in an adorable cuddle puddle, cheek to cheek, limbs entwined snoring away in tranquil bliss. Gotta love my feline roomies!

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