Not The Grapest Roomie, That’s For Sure

In early 1979, I was in the US Army stationed in Berlin, Germany. I had a room in the barracks that was designed for two people. I used the lockers to divide the room in half and set up the back half for my own comfort to live in. I bought a small refrigerator and would buy cans of Nehi Grape Soda by the case and stock my fridge.

Eventually, I ended up with a roommate. She seemed nice enough, and I didn’t see much of her. But I noticed she would occasionally help herself to one of my sodas.

One day, we were both in the room and I was drinking one of my Nehi Grape Sodas. Out of the blue, she had the audacity to ask me:

Roommate: “Would you buy another flavor? I’m tired of drinking grape.”

What the f***?

Me: “Those are my sodas. If you want something else, you can buy it, and I will let you use my fridge to keep them cold.”

Thankfully, she complained to the first sergeant that I was rude and insensitive and refused to get along with her. This confused the first sergeant since he had never had any problems with me. When I explained the fridge and sodas to him, they moved her to another room.