The prosecution: Mark
double quotation markClosing them doesn’t take a huge amount of work; it takes seconds and stops heat and insects getting in
My partner, Lucinda, was born in a barn – or so I joke, though honestly it doesn’t feel like a joke half the time. She leaves the doors and windows of our home open all the time. If I’m working in the living room, she will come in to speak to me, then just leave the door wide open behind her when she leaves. It drives me insane.We live in a basement flat in Madrid, and now it’s almost summer it’s already hot and the mosquitoes are relentless. Lucinda will wander into our bedroom to do something, then leave the door open when she leaves. I’ll go into the room later and find that not only has it heated up, but it’s also full of bugs. Then we both face the consequences and get lots of bites.The same thing goes for the windows. She will open one to air the flat and leave it open for hours. We had a rule that once dusk comes we should close the windows to keep mosquitoes out – but Lucinda always forgets. I’m constantly going around and doing it myself.I don’t get it. Closing a door or window doesn’t take a huge amount of work; it literally takes seconds. It prevents heat and insects from getting in, and makes our lives so much easier. It feels like the obvious thing to do.Lucinda says that keeping the windows open is an intentional choice to help cool the flat down. That still doesn’t excuse her failure to close the doors. It’s as though she’s opposed to shutting any door ever – she even pees with the bathroom door open.Maybe there’s a metaphor in here somewhere: that she’s more open than me, more relaxed. But I’m a cranky, uptight dude who likes things to be in order in our home. Besides, this isn’t about control, it’s about comfort, practicality and consideration.If I’m working at home and I have to constantly get up and close the door, it’s annoying. I’m often working or relaxing, and I shouldn’t have to interrupt what I’m doing just because Lucinda’s forgotten. She needs to learn to shut the door behind her.The defence: Lucinda
