unexpected, ongoing noise

 I was listening to (and part-time watching) a 1970s situation-comedy on You Tube, and there was a scene where the husband-and-wife main characters had a disagreement in the kitchen and they start throwing dishes on the floor real hard, so that they break.

It's played for laughs, of course, but it caused me to remember a sort of incident that happened many years ago, which I did not find funny, but rather, puzzling and dismaying.

        I was a student at Boston University, and part of my financial aid was my being in the Work-Study program, where you work for a professor.  I typed a lot of stuff for this guy, who was originally from Poland and came to America after World War II.

 

He invited me to rent an apartment in his basement in the Brookline home where he and his wife lived.  He said, Get a roommate, because there are two bedrooms.  He wanted two rent checks, not just one.

        I found a roommate, and we moved in.  It was very nice, for students who aren't making a living yet.  An apartment in the "basement" doesn't sound too fancy - but it was good.  The windows were partially above ground, so we had sunlight, and although there wasn't any air conditioning, our space was plenty cool in the hot, humid Boston summertimes, just naturally, from being partly underground.

It was fine.

        Then one night when I was home alone - my roommate spent some nights at her boyfriend's apartment (they got married later so it's ok) - suddenly I heard all this noise of crashing, banging, breaking dishes coming from upstairs on the main floor.

I was like, 'What the - - - ?!...?'

        I exited my small bedroom, and went out into the living room - dining room area where my stereo and record albums were, along with sofa, dining room table, and art prints on the walls...

I looked up at the ceiling - as if I'm going to be able to see what's going on,..lol 

The crashing and banging and smashing continued... the wife was yelling at the husband, in an exasperated, distressed, desperate tone, and I heard him say calmly, "I don't ever hear you talk to your friends this way...."

        I was a little scared, and intimidated, and kind of embarrassed.

I lived there for two and a half years, and that was the only time that occurred, at least when I was home to hear it.

I found it weird.

I didn't grow up in a home where people threw things or broke dishes.

I didn't know what to make of it.

        I didn't really "know" either the husband or the wife.  I worked for the husband, at school, and felt comfortable to be in his office in the School of Public Communications (SPC).  It felt just normal, and OK.

When I met his wife, I did find her vibe to be a little scary.  She seemed tense with a lot of anger, and spoke like Katharine Hepburn.  (This is not a knock on Hepburn, I'm just saying, that - certain - accent....I never knew if it was real, or put on.)

-30-