When I first moved into the apartment, I thought Milly would be the perfect roommate. She was friendly, sweet, and easy to talk to. Unfortunately, she was also irresponsible. She constantly used my toiletries, coffee, and household supplies without replacing them. She was always late with rent, never repaid borrowed money, and left dirty dishes and overflowing trash for me to clean.I tried being patient. I even suggested creating a chore schedule and setting clear expectations about rent. Milly always apologized and promised to improve, but nothing changed. Then, when our lease became month-to-month, she suddenly disappeared.
A few days later, I discovered she had moved in with her boyfriend, Jake, at his mother’s house. Most of her belongings were still in our apartment, but she refused to pay rent. When I questioned her, she simply replied, “I’m not living there right now, so why should I pay?”I ended up covering both shares of rent for May and June. I sent countless messages, but she read them without responding. Eventually, her mother contacted me, saying Milly was going through a rough patch and would return soon. When I brought up the situation, she looked hurt and said, “I thought we were friends. I’m going through a rough time right now.”
By July, I’d had enough. I warned Milly that if she didn’t respond, I’d consider her gone. After receiving nothing, I contacted the landlord. With his approval, I arranged to have her belongings packed. I donated some ordinary items and kept anything that appeared valuable or sentimental. The landlord also changed the locks.Three days later, Milly returned, furious. Her boyfriend’s mother had kicked her out, and suddenly she needed her old room back. Then she discovered that some belongings were missing, including her grandmother’s wedding dress, which she’d supposedly stored in an unmarked cardboard box.
She screamed, threatened to call the police, and accused me of ruining her life. I explained that I’d repeatedly contacted her and couldn’t keep paying for her abandoned room.I thought I was finally free of the situation, but now I’m wondering whether I went too far. Was I wrong to take matters into my own hands, or was Milly responsible for the consequences of disappearing without communicating?
