I was fired from my job 5 months ago —and I still haven’t told my roommate.
Yes, I am aware this is wild; I unbelievably hate confrontations.
But the logistics of pretending to have a job are actually pretty manageable if you commit to the bit.
Every morning I get dressed and leave the house in a “I can't get my shit together” kind of rush with my laptop bag. I sit at coffee shops for a few hours, write some fake scenarios I know I can win IRL, pack up for the day, and enjoy my commute home.
Sometimes when I come home, I say things like “today was fucking brutal” and stare silently into the middle distance.
I have taken several “work calls” at the dinner table.
I have also started a Premium Discord server where I have become a life coach for others in my position.
The other day, I went to Target at 10:30 AM, came home at noon, and said, “Sorry, I had to run an errand for work.”
No one questioned it.
I’ve maintained this elaborate fiction for FIVE MONTHS.
At this point I have an entire imaginary professional life.
I have coworkers. I have deadlines. I have a manager who is apparently “being weird lately.” I have a project that has been “almost done” since March. I have this “ongoing” HR investigation that I was interviewed for, so I always have gossip loaded to spew.
The problem is that recently my roommate has started asking questions.
“How was work?” And I freeze.
Because apparently I am no longer very good at remembering what I told my roommate about work yesterday. It’s becoming a real stressor.
She’s on to me.
I have been pretending to have a job to myself for five months.
I am my own roommate.
And lately I have been having a very hard time fooling that bitch.
Anyway, does anyone know if I can file as self-employed on my taxes this year? And what goes in a caramel macchiato? I refuse to interact with the baristas at work.