Editor-in-chief Leya remembers how she used to be obsessed with League of Legends.
It is the year 2016 and I am 26 years old.
I am in the attic apartment of my ex-boyfriend, from where I overlook the panorama of the Dutch city of Leeuwarden. It is midsummer and I see the front gardens of the typical small houses with the large windows blooming.
I am studying marketing in Holland, have little money, but more free time than today. At that time, I play a hell of a lot of League of Legends. My PC, which consists of old donated hardware components from my friend circle, handles the game easily and it is free.
I play League of Legends not only because it runs well on weak hardware and fits my student budget. No other game has managed to pull me into this constant tunnel where I play one match after another and forget everything around me.
Always on the hunt for the next win and the next better place on the leaderboard.
When the water runs to your feet
My then-boyfriend was already working and left the apartment every day for several hours to work in the office on video games.
While I sip my coffee and still consider whether to start my assignment for university, I have unconsciously already opened the client for League of Legends. There is no one online that I know, but I feel like climbing the leaderboard. I begin to search for a match alone.
My coffee is empty and I no longer need the cup. I go to the kitchen and place it in the sink. To prevent the coffee grounds from drying out, I turn on the faucet and fill the cup with water. Meanwhile, I am already thinking about the game and considering which champion I want to play.
I hear the distinctive ping that tells me I have found a game. Quickly, I run to the PC to accept the match, put on my headphones, and I am already in the middle of a game.
I can’t say how long I’ve been playing. I am in the flow and play one match after another.
At some point, I feel something wet on my feet, which are in socks. When I look down to find the source, I see a puddle creeping closer to my feet. Surprised, I take off my headphones, hear a splashing sound, turn around in my office chair, and see the calamity:
The whole living room is underwater!
I forgot to turn off the damn faucet. Quickly, I rush into the kitchen while it splashes and patters under my feet. From the corner of my eye, I see the water happily splashing down the stairs into the hallway.
First, I turn off the faucet. Along with the water beneath me, my tears quickly join that run down my cheek. The water is simply about one centimeter deep in the apartment. Immediately, I wonder what my boyfriend will think about the fact that I have flooded his entire apartment.
Abundant towels and a beer in the evening sun
After I have collected myself internally, I quickly gather all the towels I can find. I use the towels to soak up what I can. I open the windows in the hope that it helps in drying.
I realize that there is so much water that I cannot wipe it up with the towels. The fixtures in the kitchen are also full. I scrub until I have no towels left.
The rest will have to dry somehow. My guilty conscience knows no bounds right now. I can’t think of anything better than to go to the supermarket and get my then-boyfriend’s favorite beer.
With my shopping, I walk back dejectedly and put the beer in the fridge. Everything is still damp.
I hear the key turning in the lock. I take a deep breath and go to the apartment door to intercept my boyfriend. When I see him, I must cry from shame. I explain to him what happened. Now we both stand in a damp living room with wet towels everywhere.
He was also as much a fan of League of Legends at that time as I was and understands how this damn game can pull you in. With a grin, he picks up the towels and throws them in the bathtub. The apartment now has to air dry.
I feel relieved and we start laughing at the absurd situation. He is very happy with his favorite beer.
The rest of the evening, we sit on the windowsill and let our feet dangle out the window. Now we have the damp apartment behind us and no longer think about it. The cool beer tastes too good while we look at the front gardens of the neighbors in the summer evening sun.
To gaming nights and a cold beer
Later, the landlord should replace the kitchen unit so that no wood warps from the moisture. At this point, a special mention goes to Mom and Dad, who instilled in me how important it is to have household insurance. Otherwise, it would have been very expensive.
The relationship ended a few years later for reasons other than the flooding of the apartment. But this memory has remained one of the finest from that time in my mind.
It reminds me of a carefree time. Of gaming nights with friends, always on the hunt for the next rank in League of Legends.
Of a cold beer on the windowsill at dusk. With my legs dangling out of the window.
