It was spring break of my sophomore year in college. While most of my friends were off in Cancun partying it up, I was desperately looking for a new place to live. I had been living with my now ex-boyfriend. I found out that he had been cheating on me. He tried to tell me that it was a mistake and that it didn't mean anything. I told him that I didn't care. I broke it off with him and told him that I didn't want to see him again and that I was moving out.
Trying to find a new place to live in the middle of the semester was nearly impossible. There was like nothing close to school! It was insane! Desperate, I looked for anything in town. There were a couple of apartments that were available on the north side of town in the Hispanic area. Being a single white girl, I knew that probably wasn't a good place to be, although I didn't think there was much choice. I checked out the last place on my list. It was a person who was looking for a roommate. I had talked to a woman on the phone, her name was Pam. I made arrangements to take a look. The address was on the west side of town. It was a very nice house. It looked like it was brand new. I wasn't sure if I had the right address. I went up and knocked on the door, I was greeted by an older woman with short gray hair. She looked like she might be in her fifties. I was shocked. This couldn't be the right place!
"Um, hi. Are you Pam?" I asked.
"Yes, I'm Pam. You must be Kristi. Did you find my place okay?" She said with a dimpled smile.
Smiling back, I said. "I did. I wasn't sure if I had the right place though."
"Really?" Said Pam.
"Yeah. I mean I thought I was going to see an apartment. Not a house! I'm not sure if I can afford to rent a room from you." I said.
Pam smiled and said. "Well Kristi, I think we can negotiate a little on the rent. Why don't you come in and I'll show you around."
Pam opened the door. She was a little taller, she was wearing a gray shirt, a pair of cargo pants and black shoes. Pam was a little stocky, her body looked very masculine with her broad shoulders. The older woman put her hand on the small of my back and ushered me inside. We walked around the house. It was beautiful! The house was very modern and stylish. She even had leather couches and a big screen TV in the living room! Then Pam showed me the room I would be renting. It was pretty big, bigger than my room at my parent's house!!! I was so impressed! I was definitely interested! So we sat down at the table and talked.
Impressed, I said. "Wow, you have such a beautiful house! But why are you renting out a room. It doesn't look like you need the money."
"Well actually, with the economy being what it is right now I thought it would make sense to rent out a room. Besides, this is a big house for just one person. It would be nice to have someone who can keep me company." Said Pam with her dimpled smile.
"The only thing is that I don't think I can afford to pay a whole lot for rent." I said.
:Pam said. "Well Kristi, you seem like a very nice girl. I have a good feeling about you. I think we can work this out. Would $250 a month work for you?"
Smiling, I said. "Yes!!! That would be perfect!"
With a confident grin on her face, she replied. "Good. But there are a few things you should know before you agree to this."
"What's that?" I asked.
"Well the first thing is, I am gay. If you have a problem with that, you should let me know right now." She said.
Knowing my parents, I knew they wouldn't approve of me living with a lesbian. But I was open minded and I personally didn't have a problem with it. Besides, what my parents didn't know, wouldn't hurt them.
I told Pam. "No. I don't have a problem with that at all! I think that's cool. So what else do I need to know?"
"Good. Well, you should know that I don't want any guests over after 8:00 PM. No boyfriends, no nothing! I'm a fairly private person, and I don't want to share my house with the whole college. And also, if you make a mess, be sure to clean up after yourself. Okay?" She said.
I said. "Okay. That sounds fair to me. And don't worry about boyfriends. I just broke up with my ex. I don't even want to talk to boys right now!"
Pam smiled and said. "Well in that case, welcome!"
"So when can I move in?" I asked.
"Whenever you want sweetie" She said.
I told Pam that I was hoping to get everything moved out of the apartment while my ex was away on spring break. She asked me if any of my friends were there to help me move. I told her that all of my friends were out of town for spring break. She offered to help me move my things for me. Gratefully, I accepted her offer. So the next day Pam drove over to my apartment in her fancy new pickup truck. We spent the whole day moving all my things over to her house. By the end of the day we were both exhausted! We both sat on her leather couch just relaxing as we watched TV.
The next few weeks were nice. Pam was a wonderful roommate/landlord. She would make dinner most nights for us. And if I needed help with anything, she was more than happy to help me. It was great!
One evening my ex-boyfriend stopped by Pam's house. He rang the door bell. Pam opened the door and asked to come in. Not knowing who he was, she let him in. I was surprised to see him. I asked him how he found me. He said that one of my friends told him. Then I asked him what he wanted and he told me that he wanted me back, that he wanted me to come back and live with him. I told him that I didn't want to have anything to do with him. At that point asked him to leave.
"Look, I don't want any trouble, but I'm not leaving!" He said.
In a stern voice, Pam said. "I'm sorry, Kristi doesn't want to talk to you. Respect that son. Now, please leave!"
Furious, my ex said. "Fuck you, you fucking dyke! Are you gonna make me!"
Keeping her calm, Pam said. "If you don't, I'll call the cops."
My ex pushed Pam and said "Fuck you!"
He started to swing his arms wildly at her, trying to punch Pam. I screamed out in shock. Pam reacted, deftly ducking his punches. She countered him, expertly swinging her arms and knocking him to the floor. Man handling him, Pam pulled him up off the floor and kicked him outside.
"If you ever come back, I'm calling the cops!" She said.
"Fuck you!" Yelled my ex as he got in his car and sped away.
Concerned I asked. "Are you okay Pam? I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that asshole!"
Pam smiled and said. "I'm okay sweetie. It wasn't your fault. I just hope I don't have to deal with him every week."
I laughed and said. "I don't think he'll be back. He looked pretty embarrassed when he left. I have to say, it looks like you know how to handle yourself!"
She said. "Well I used to be a cop once. I know how to handle myself."
Impressed, I said. "Yes you do! You're my hero now! You're like my Prince Charming!!!"
"Well, I aim to please." She said.
I already had a lot of respect for Pam, but after that night I had an even deeper respect for her. She made meals for me, she helped me with my homework and protected me from my ex-boyfriend. She was almost like another parent or a good friend who looked out for and protected me. Our friendship grew as a result. It surprised even me! Who would've thought that a 20 year old straight girl would develop such a close friendship with a 56 year old lesbian? But I really felt comfortable talking to her about anything and everything.
We were very comfortable around each other. It was no big deal for me to see Pam walking around in a pair of boxer shorts and her white "wife beater" tank top. And I was completely comfortable walking around in my short shorts and my tiny baby doll shirts and tank tops.