My boyfriend and I broke up a few months ago, but there have been complications with the apartment because we are both on the lease, and blah blah blah. But I found a new place to live and moved out last weekend. I got the important stuff out, but there were still a few small boxes left and I didn’t go through the kitchen because I didn’t know what my new roommate had. My ex helped me move, and everything was going very well and we were being cordial.

Well, last night, my ex asked me to come over to pick up a few of the small boxes that were in the closet, and to say hi to his dog who was sad that I was gone. So I go over there; we are hanging out. I play with his dog. Everything is good. Then I asked him if he minded if I took the dish brush because my new house didn’t have one. I asked because I bought this dish brush just a couple weeks ago, and I even splurged on a nicer one (like $5 lol).

Side note: I am the only person in our relationship who ever bought household items like this. I just moved into a new place where the rent is higher. I’ve had to pay for a moving truck, and all the other little things associated with moving somewhere new. The last thing I want to do is go to the store and drop another $50 or so buying a bunch of little things I literally just bought a couple weeks ago.

Apparently asking for the dish brush triggered him, and he made the ridiculous dictate (at 8 pm on Wednesday, mind you) that I could take anything I that’s mine TONIGHT, but anything that was there when I left THAT NIGHT would be his property now.

I, annoyed, said no, that I don’t agree to this. I immediately said the dish brush was not a big deal. I told him that I did not come prepared (with boxes, bags, etc) to get everything I wanted from the kitchen. I said I could do this tomorrow or any other day of his choosing. I begged him to compromise. I told him I wouldn’t take the dish brush or anything that he said he wanted. However, he only tripled down, and refused to budge from his ridiculous demand.

So I became very irate. I told him that if he was going to make me move all my dishes out in plastic trash bags tonight, that I was going to take every last thing that was mine. Again, I am the only person who ever bought anything like pots, spices, utensils, cleaning supplies, etc. I was planning on leaving most of it with him because my new roommate already has a lot of this stuff, but I decided that if he was going to make such a ridiculous rule, then I would take it all. I took the dish brush, the sponges (used and unused), all my spices, the soap, the utensils, all the pots, the Tupperware, the toothpicks, the toilet paper, the pillows, the wall hooks, the coat hangers...I even took the light bulbs. I took it ALL!

Did I yell? Yes. Was I petty? Absolutely. But I think it is quite petty to make a demand on the spot, that everything I don’t take tonight becomes his when this was not the pretense under which I came over, and I was obviously not prepared.