1

11:05:00

It was the mother's decision. She thought it a waste of money to leave one room empty, while the rest was barely used at all. Five years ago she decided to go to Norway to make a better life for herself. She lost her job in her hometown and she didn't think twice about the opportunity. Life was different up north and apart from the flat and the son she didn't have anything here to stay for.

She was always attached to the flat. She was never attached to her son. She didn't miss him when she was abroad. She was worried, however, that her only possession after her departure would be left unattended. She placed the add online and she arranged all the matters via mail. She didn't even meet the girl but from her messages, she sensed that she was reasonable and trustworthy. She welcomed her to the flat. Then she bought a one-way ticket to Norway and isolated herself from her previous life. Forty-nine years of age was for her a time that only Oslo with its cold nights, freezing winters and unsurpassed cleanliness of the landscape could make up for lost time. She was twice divorced. Her son was what he was and that wasn't about to change. Her mother died. Her father was in a geriatric institution for which she paid with Norwegian crowns. She had enough. Now she was living life for herself.

Michael woke up at exactly 7.30. He showered for ten minutes. He ate breakfast and brushed his teeth. At 8.30 he started work. He worked manually from home and this was the job he chose at the very beginning of his career. He didn't like meeting people and, as he was working mainly with graphs and numbers, he rarely had to contact any representatives of the human race. In the afternoon he ordered the shopping and decided on a pizza for dinner. In the evening he went for an hour of moderate exercise and an hour and a half of reading. He was fond of science fiction. The reality was far too dull to digest. Fantasy took him to a completely different world where men had the strength of Hercules and women were at least decently intelligent. You couldn't tell that about all women. Most girls he met talked only about cosmetics, clothes, and guys. At night he was playing computer games. He went up three levels. All in all, it was hard work - he wasn't as good at gaming as he was as a teenager. Now he was just exercising his old habits. He didn't acquire any new skills, to be honest. His only resolution was to eat more healthily and order those pre-packed meals with a set amount of calorie intake. He cooked his dinner once or twice a week but it was better to invest in something of quality. He needed the right amount of nutrients, especially that he didn’t check his health for a long time. He didn't like doctors. Equally, he didn't like dentists.

Surprisingly, he wasn't even angry at the mother's decision. She stopped sending him money but wanted to equip him with an extra income. Just in case, he ran out of money. Or she died abroad. Funny enough, the longer she stayed abroad, the more he thought about the possibility of her dying there and him having to care about her body. The prospect made him shiver. He wouldn't like to see his mother in the coffin.

Was he worried about the flatmate? He was a little bit anxious. He didn't even use the second part of the flat. He had his selected area from the times when the mother lived with him and he stuck to his room, one bathroom and a small utility room which he used for storage. He made sure that he was carefully isolated from the living room, second bedroom, second bathroom, and hall. The kitchen might not be used at all, as those ready meals were about to arrive at his door. The microwave was already set up in the utility room.

She moved in on Friday. She was so loud with her suitcases and stuff that he had to turn up the volume in his headphones not to get annoyed.

'You have a note on the table. Will you manage with everything?' he screamed through the closed door.

'I will manage,' she answered confidently.

He saw her through the keyhole when she was taking a shower. A plain girl with big breasts. A bit overweight. Black curly hair. God knows whether they were naturally curly. Or naturally black. She had a bigger nose. All in all, she was a woman. A young woman.

She woke up early in the morning, even before his alarm clock set off. She came back home at around 5 p.m. She cooked something and closed herself in the room.

Sometimes she played music and that was unbearable. She was fond of these indie rock/pop bands who sang with annoying melodic voices. She also played the same record over and over again - he was sure - to make him suicidal. She showered for twenty five minutes. She dried her hair for another twenty. It took him a week to get used to her presence. It took him another week to become indifferent about her every move.