Man boots his roommate when he's busted for spitting in his food. AITA?
"AITA for kicking my roommate out and tossing his stuff in the trash after finding out he messed with my food?"
SuperNicoRobyn
I (24M) have shared an apartment with Andrew (25M) for a year. We found this place through some friends, and honestly, everything was pretty chill until this whole thing went down. My name is on the lease and Andrew would just Venmo me his half of the rent, we never had any formal contract between us.
We were having dinner with some friends and we were drinking, chillin’ and having fun. One of our mutual friends made a joke about me being very tidy and Andrew being very chaotic, in terms of our rooms, cleaning habits and stuff like that.
Our friend asked us if that was an usual problem for us. So for some reason Andrew decided to mention that whenever I’d get ‘too annoying’ about cleaning the apartment or whatever, instead of fighting, he would go and spit on my food. Straight-out spitting.
On my food We were all laughing off but then Andrew went to the kitchen and demonstrated how easy it was to just take one of my prep meals for the week, open it, and spit on it. He did it right there in front of us. We were still laughing, in a what-the-fuck-is-happening kind of way.
After our friends left, Andrew tries to play it off, asking if I'm okay with what he admitted and apologises for it. But I could sense he was dead serious. We ended up having a heated argument, and I was furious.
I told him he needed to find another place to stay, and he stormed off to his room, slamming the door behind him. The next morning, he heads off to the gym, and in the meantime, he sends me this long apology text.
But when I didn’t respond right away, he loses his cool again, saying he doesn’t regret it (the spitting incident) and even cracks this disgusting joke about messing with my food, suggesting I avoid eating my ice cream because it's 'flavored' now.
Just the thought of it made my stomach turn. So, I wasted no time. While he was out, I gathered up his belongings and tossed them in the trash. Some of my friends think I went too far by throwing away his stuff, but honestly, it felt like my only option. I couldn't bear the idea of having him around after that.
Honestly I'm kinda embarrassed to tell the full story to most of my friends/family, especially mutual friends, I just tell them we had a fight, so I’ve been called an asshole on more than one occasion. Plus, I’m not the best at getting jokes either. Am I the bad guy here?
Here were the top rated comments from readers:
Sebscreen
NTA. He was dumb enough to admit it in a saveable format too. Invite every one of the "friends" giving you grief about this over for a potluck, spit in their food, and tell them to eat it.
RememberCakeFarts
No. Don't spit it in yourself just tell them "ok eat up, ex roommate may have personally flavored some of it, but no big deal right? Enjoy."
JauntyJillian
NTA, but your tactics could have been better handled.
Look, anyone would feel violated finding out their roommate has been defiling their food – that's a massive breach of trust, health, and decency. Kicking him out is absolutely the right move because who could eat feeling paranoid about their food safety?
Yes, throwing his stuff out is technically an overreaction. Legally, it might even be considered vindictive destruction of property. I can't blame you for acting out of impulse, but it would have been safer to put his belongings aside and tell him to come to get them.
Remember, the high ground is yours when you're the wronged party - until you retaliate in kind. Sometimes, the best revenge is living well, and in this case, living without a disrespectful roommate tampering with your meals. Stay safe, get a lock for your food if needed, and consider this an expensive, but valuable lesson learned on choosing trustworthy housemates.
LibraryHaunting
Yeah what you did wasn't legal and will probably get you in trouble, but he admitted (and demonstrated!!) both in front of witnesses and in writing that he's been covertly contaminating/poisoning your food for months.
After the last few years of global pandemic one would think the gravity of such an act would have been more obvious to him. NTA simply because the crimes are so staggeringly unequal that I can't call you an a$Z. Please contact a lawyer immediately and discuss how to handle this.
Texas_Laroy
Nta, youre nicer than me. I'd be banned for saying what I would do.