Clara always knew living with Tina would be an adventure. What she didn’t anticipate was being asked if Hawaii was reachable by car—or ferry. Four years of shared laughter, eye-rolling moments, and late-night confessions taught Clara one undeniable truth: sometimes the most unlikely friendships are the most meaningful.
Living with a roommate is a rite of passage for many, but for Clara, it became an unexpected source of comedy and connection. As a reserved librarian in her late twenties, Clara wasn’t the type to seek out excitement.
Enter Tina, a 23-year-old ball of energy who loudly declared at their first meeting, “I don’t read!” Against all odds, they became inseparable.
Now, as Tina prepared for her wedding and their shared apartment days dwindled, Clara found herself reflecting on the peculiar blend of chaos and joy Tina brought to her life.
It was a lazy Saturday, the kind where Clara preferred the quiet comfort of a good book. Instead, she walked into their apartment to find Tina sprawled on the living room floor, surrounded by glossy honeymoon brochures.
“Look at this one!” Tina exclaimed, thrusting an image of a tropical paradise at Clara. “It’s Bora Bora or something. Fancy, right?”
Clara humored her with a polite nod. “Very pretty.” She settled onto the couch, already bracing for whatever tangent Tina’s excitement would bring.
Tina waved a price list at her. “Okay, so are we on the West Coast or the East Coast?”
Clara blinked. “Uh… you’re serious?”
Tina furrowed her brow. “Yeah! The prices change depending on where you fly from. So… which one are we?”
Flashback: Tina’s Greatest Hits
As Clara processed the question, her mind spiraled through a highlight reel of Tina’s most jaw-dropping misconceptions.
There was the time Tina confidently claimed, “Australia’s the same as Austria, just spelled differently.” Or the time she stared at a bag of dried spaghetti and asked, “Is pasta grown in fields like wheat?” And who could forget the aluminum foil incident, where Tina set the microwave on fire before sheepishly admitting, “Nobody told me it was illegal!”
This question, though, might top them all.
Complication: Mapping the Situation
Clara pulled out her phone. “Okay, look. Here’s a map. We’re here on the East Coast—Northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.”
Tina nodded slowly. “Got it.” Then she pointed to Hawaii. “So… is this the West Coast?”
Clara stifled a groan. “No, Tina. Hawaii isn’t on the coast. It’s an island in the middle of the Pacific.”
Tina’s eyes widened. “An island? Like… surrounded by water? How do you even get there?”
“You fly.”
Tina gasped. “What about people who are scared of planes? Do they just drive?”
Peak of Tension
Before Clara could answer, Tina’s fiancé, Logan, entered the room with a steaming mug of coffee. “What’s going on?” he asked, sensing the tension.
“Tina wants to know if you can drive to Hawaii,” Clara deadpanned.
Logan nodded thoughtfully. “You can’t drive, but you could take a ferry, right? One of those big ones that carry cars.”
Clara stared at him in disbelief. “There’s no ferry to Hawaii! It’s thousands of miles across open ocean!”
Logan shrugged. “Seems like there should be.”
At that moment, Clara realized she’d lost control of the conversation.
Comic Relief
Clara’s frustration bubbled over into a dramatic explanation. “Sure, let’s say you pack the car, drive to California, and just keep going—into the ocean. Maybe you strap pool noodles to the tires and hope for the best. Good luck steering through waves!”
Tina and Logan burst into laughter, the absurdity breaking the tension. “Okay, okay, no driving to Hawaii!” Tina giggled. “And no ferries, either. But admit it—floating cars would be awesome.”
Clara couldn’t help but join in the laughter. “Only if you promise to let me drive.”
Resolution: A Teachable Moment
That evening, the trio sat down with maps and guidebooks, turning the fiasco into a lighthearted geography lesson. Clara explained the difference between coasts, where Hawaii actually was, and even sprinkled in fun trivia about volcanoes.
“You’re not bad at this,” Tina admitted. “You should, like, teach people.”
Clara smirked. “You mean adults who think Hawaii has a ferry system?”
Tina threw a pillow at her, grinning. “Touché.”
A Bittersweet Goodbye
In the weeks leading up to Tina’s wedding, Clara found herself savoring even the moments of exasperation. Tina may never fully understand geography, but her boundless enthusiasm and humor had made their time together unforgettable.
On moving day, Tina hugged Clara tightly. “I’m gonna miss you. Who’s gonna explain stuff to me now?”
Clara smiled. “You’ll figure it out. Eventually.”
As Tina drove away, Clara settled on the couch with a book, the laughter of their years together replaying in her mind. It wasn’t always easy, but it was undeniably worth it.
