Presentation

Elise stared intently at her computer screen where the words and diagrams on her PowerPoint presentation danced in front of her eyes. There was an important meeting at her internship company tomorrow and her supervisor had asked her to prepare a presentation on her findings up to now. A great chance to show her paces. As she stretched on her chair she heard thumping noises and giggling in the corridor. Both Willem-Jan and Bianca had invited a few fraternity friends over and it had been noisy all evening. In fact, there had been something going on every evening recently. Either Vera had a film evening that turned into a bacchanal or Derk played video games late into the night. It was driving her crazy. Now she was doing an internship she needed some peace and quiet, and that was not easy to find at the Mortierstraat. Just at that moment there was a knock on her door. Before she could say anything, Willem-Jan and Bianca burst into her room giggling and rosy cheeked from the many drinks they had already downed. ‘Elise!’ shouted Willem-Jan unnecessarily loudly. ‘We are going out into town, are yer com-ming?’ He tried in vain not to slur his words. Bianca burst out laughing. ‘You are so-o sloshed,’ she hiccupped. Elise gazed at the two crazies in front of her. ‘No, I have an important presentation tomorrow and I would very much like a bit of peace and quiet.’ Willem-Jan sniffed contemptuously. ‘Don’t be so boring. You can work for the rest of your life.’‘Is Elise coming along?’ they heard Vera call out. She had allowed herself to be persuaded, it seemed. Elise stood up. ‘No, Elise is not coming along. Elise has better things to do than go boozing with her housemates.’ She shoved the drunken pair out of her room and shut the door resolutely. ‘Then we’ll just go and drink beer without that boring nutrition girlie,’ spluttered Willem-Jan. ‘Lager,’ Bianca corrected him. Roaring with laughter they went downstairs. A bit later Elise heard the whole group leaving the house. Peace at last! At three thirty Elise was startled awake by a deafening noise from Willem-Jan’s room. ‘’Een beetje verliefd’, a number by Dutch singer Andre Hazes resounded through her room, just as it did whenever that boozehead Willem-Jan tried to get off with a girl. She pounded on the wall with her fist but Hazes sang on. Willem-Jan had probably already fallen asleep, so she would have to listen to all the tracks. Tears of indignation welled up. Time after time, her housemates refused to take her needs into consideration. She had had enough. She grabbed her mobile and whatsapped a friend. ‘Is that room in your house still going to be vacated?’