Let me tell you about my living situation since last August. Last summer, before moving to Gainesville, time was getting short and I had not yet found a place to live. Julie called several churches around the city to see if they had any members who had something to rent. One week before moving to Gainesville, I had put down a deposit and was putting in an application on an apartment. I received a call from a nice lady offering me a house. The rent was $100 less than any aparment in Gainesville and included utilities. I am sure I am saving $150 a month at least. The apartment is also furnished and has a washer and dryer, so I don't even have to go to a laundromat. The only caveat was that I would have to share the house with someone.
Well, the house turned out to be a trailer. I was pretty bummed at first, but it has proven to be comfortable enough for the year. It has served its purpose. My landlord, who lives in the trailer on the next lot. (No, it's not a tralier park. It is a regular neighborhood, but many of the lots are occupied by trailers.) She has divided her trailer into three small units and rents out two of them. Some time last year, she bought the lot next to hers and a trailer to put on it. Well, the trailer she bought was a former tatoo parlor. My father-in-law still gets a kick out of that. She "subdivided" the trailer into two units. She made the master bedroom into one unit and remodeled it's bathroom to also serve as a kitchenette. The other side is the living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms. She's just a little real estate developer.
I live on the side with two bedrooms. When I moved in, the person I was supposed to share with was actually living in the smaller "apartment." My landlord was trying to find another graduate student type person to live with me. Well, the only responses she got were from college girls. She didn't think it would be appropriate for me to live with a young college girl (why not?), so she got the idea to move the other guy in with me and rent the other side to a girl.
Well, the other guy was a 16 year old kid from Brazil. His name is Fernando and he was a Junior at a local Christian high school this year. Apparently, his father, who teaches at a university in Brazil, had spent time at UF, went to church here, and was responsible for converting my landlord. Now, he was sending his son to live with her and go to school in America. And he was living with me, a 30 year old graduate student.
We pretty much avoided each other. We went our own directions, did our own things and rarely talked. He was a pretty active kid, seemed to be pretty popular at school and did lost of stuff with his friends. He's a good kid. Very polite and respectful. But he and I didn't hang out. My landlord, who is responsile for watching over him, told me a couple of weeks ago that he was going to home to Brazil for most of the summer. I was kind of looking forward to him leaving and having the place to myself for the summer. I was anticipating it would be pretty quiet and more conducive to studying for the bar exam.
He left today. I was sleeping in a little and heard him moving around this morning, having breakfast, packing his things. I got up when I heard him leave the apartment. He had taped a note to my door letting me know how long he would be gone and wishing me a good summer. I looked at the note for a minute and realized I was sad he was leaving. I was surprised to feel that way.
It has always bothered Julie that he and I could live in the same place and not know much about each other. She would say she just doesn't understand boys. Well, now it bothers me a little. I think I am sad because I regret not reaching out to him and not getting to know him. We both probably could have enriched each other's lives. For example, I knew he was playing soccer at his high school. That didn't surprise me...he's Brazillian. Julie's parents hosted Felipe, a Brazillian exchange student a few years ago. I think he played soccer at his school, but I don't think there was anything really special about his ability. I just assumed the same thing about Fernando. Well, my landlord told me that he was the best one on his team. A few weeks ago, she told me he's got scholarship offers to play at some good soccer schools like North Carolina and Duke. I didn't know that.
I am sad because now I don't have the opportunity to reach out to him. He's getting back to Gainesville less than 10 days before the Bar Exam, so I won't be spending any time with him then. I am moving back to Miami right after the exam and getting on with my life. I probably won't ever know much about him. That's an opportunity lost and I regret that.
Enjoy your time home Fernando and good luck with your soccer career.
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