As soon as Ellis came home, he rushed to the fridge to reheat the leftovers from last night's dinner. He was starving and tired.
But even after all the warnings, his roommates had eaten his food once again. "Goddamn it!" he shouted as he threw the empty container on the floor. He knew he needed to teach them a lesson. And it would be a memorable one!
Ellis
Ellis was a third-year college student who shared an apartment with three other roommates. He happened to be the eldest and also the only one who had a car and a job.
When Ellis and his roommates had just moved in, they came to an agreement that pantry staples such as milk and butter would be purchased communally.
New Girlfriend
This agreement worked well for them in the beginning until his roommate's new girlfriend started to live with them.
As soon as Andrew's girlfriend moved in, Ellis noticed that someone in the apartment was taking more food than usual. And it wasn't long before the snacks he bought for himself began to vanish, too.
No More Communal Shopping
Ellis asked his roommates about it, but no one would admit it. Disappointed, he decided to end the arrangement and communal shopping trips. The arrangement was clearly not working for them anymore.
He began labeling all his groceries in the fridge and kitchen shelves. But despite all the effort, someone was still taking his food without his permission.
Enough Is Enough
Ellis had no issue with sharing his food, but his roommates never paid him back for it. Finally, one day, he decided enough was enough and got to work.
"I start tracking when things disappear to hatch a plan most foul," Ellis shared on Reddit.
Thieves
"Mostly, it’s the milk and eggs that start going first," he continued.
"Andrew and his girlfriend normally get up before me to make breakfast, so I get up before him and wait for cereal pouring, and I see him using my milk."
Caught In The Act
"The previous level of liquid was marked with a sharpie," Ellis continued.
"Pretty much caught in the act, our conversation goes like this: “I see you’ve got my milk there.”’
Useless Apologies
“Sorry, dude, I ran out. I’ll get some today and replace it,” Andrew responded. Ellis thought that this would be the end of the silly situation, but Andrew and his girlfriend weren't planning on leaving his food alone.
"I thought we had an understanding, but this continues for a few more days," he wrote.
Crossing The Line
Soon, Andrew stopped buying groceries for himself and started to eat Ellis' lunches and dinners, too.
"The behavior did not stop, and he actually seemed to be eating more of my food out of spite," Ellis explained. "I would use my leftovers to meal prep for the week and told him to stop as it was expensive as well as inconvenient."
More Food Missing
"Go into the refrigerator, and it’s gone. Looked in the trash can, and there was my chicken tenders container," he wrote.
It was at that moment that Eliss decided it was time to put a stop to it.
Revenge
He picked up an unmarked jar in the fridge and carefully inspected it. "I carefully opened the sandwich…" he continued.
"I needed something slow acting since I didn’t want just one bite “hey, that’s spicy.” NO! I wanted this to build and then knock him down."
Hottest Peppers In The World
"So I picked one sauce containing the Bhut Jolokia and Moruga Scorpion chili peppers," he continued.
"Both were at one time considered the hottest peppers in the world by Guinness Book." But that wasn't the end.
Not Done Yet
"I used a lot of it, but it was worth it, but I wasn’t done. HAHA!!! NO!" Ellis wrote.
"I took out some dried reaper and ghost chilis from the refrigerator, which I use for chili and jarring pickles. I cut them up into fine pieces using latex gloves, eye goggles, and a mask."
The Trap
"Then, I sprinkle them onto the sandwich," Ellis continued. "I took extra care to place the sub right at the front of the refrigerator."
"Finally, at around 10:50 PM, I hear heavy breathing like a dog panting loudly and hear the sounds of shoes squeaking, almost like somebody was playing basketball."
Special Sandwich
"Then I go in and see Andrew, sweating heavily, stumbling down the counter, and breathing up a hurricane. He resembled a fish out of the water on a hot sidewalk," he continued. "I point towards him and say, “YOU! STOP stealing my damn lunch!”’
It turned out that Andrew was sharing the sandwich with his girlfriend, Anna. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her face was bright red. But Ellis didn't feel bad for them. He knew they both deserved it.