My friend, Susan, is a boarder in an elderly widow's home. Her landlady, April, is a doll, and they (and April's pets) get on great. Susan pays a generously low amount each month for a private bedroom room with a great view, a shared bath and living area, and a half-kitchen (no stove or oven, but April lets her use the full kitchen upstairs if Susan wants to bake something). The bedroom is her only private area.
April has a grown daughter, Theresa, who is home to visit for Christmas. (Note: Theresa grew up in the house, but has not lived there for many years; she's now living out of state with her husband and son. Susan thinks her current living space was Theresa's back in the day.)
Susan came home today and realized that her phone's USB charger cord was missing. When she asked April about it, she said that Theresa had borrowed it.
Susan would not be bothered if she'd left the charger in a shared/public space, but the charger had been in her private bedroom--and connected to her computer.
Susan doesn't think April understands that Theresa had to have gone into Susan's room, or to have handled Susan's things, to find and acquire the charger. She'd gladly have loaned it if Theresa had asked, or even called and asked for permission to go check Sue's computer, but she simply let herself in and helped herself.
Sue would like to bring this up with April to make sure that her privacy is respected, but we're having trouble coming up with a good wording. It needs to be clear, fair, not sound mad (though Sue *is* understandably upset), and not make anyone else mad.
What we've come up with is:
"I'd be happy to loan things to her for the asking, but that room is my only spot of real privacy. I'd be much more comfortable if she'd ask in the future, and wait for me to get it for her, or to give her the okay to get it."
What do you recommend, eHell?
