Erin, 22, a new arrival

Erin had just moved to the city after getting a job with a big company downtown. She came from overseas and never fit in back home so when she graduated university she jumped at the offer. To her it was like starting a brand new life.

She could afford a place of her own, barely, but wanted to get a female roommate so she'd have a friend perhaps, or at least someone to help her get acclimated. Living alone in a foreign land seemed absolutely terrifying. After some frenzied online communication, she met a promising woman named Cathy who was her age and seemed to not be a crazy axe murderer, so she agreed to meet with her and see the place as soon as she got off the plane.

The city was big but clean and seemed very exciting to Erin. Everything was going to plan when she got to the apartment. It was in a skinny four-story brick building on a quiet, leafy street where she could see herself living. Cathy met her in the lobby and Erin liked her right away. Both women were tall and thin but Cathy had long red hair while Erin's blond hair was cut short, to just above her shoulders.

After talking in the lobby, Cathy took Erin up to the third floor to look around the apartment. The decor was more cozy than fashionable, with a purple couch and pink pillows, plush carpet and white furniture, but Erin loved it. Everything was going fine until she looked into the bathroom and saw white hexagonal tile with a sink and shower. She knew something was wrong but couldn't put her finger on it at first.

"Where's the toilet?" she asked with a gasp, realizing what was missing.

"Toilet?" Cathy asked in confusion, "This is a girl's apartment."

That made no sense to Erin, but Cathy said it as if it was self-evident that there would be no toilet in the apartment since they were girls.

"Oh," Cathy said, "I forget that it's different in other countries. Sorry. Uhhh girls don't really use the toilet here."

Erin looked at her in amazement. "Do we use the sink then?" she said, unable to help being a smart-ass.

"No, silly," Cathy said, "We use diapers."

Erin laughed. That sounded like more of a joke than her sink idea. "No really, what do we use?"

Cathy shrugged and lifted her skirt casually, exposing a pink lady's diaper around her crotch.

"Oh," Erin said, suddenly realizing that Cathy was completely serious. Now that she thought about it she had heard that there were some cultures where women hated toilets and preferred diapers, but she'd discounted it as a crazy urban legend.

"Well, are you still interested?"

"Uh well, I'm not gonna find a roommate whose apartment has a toilet?"

"Not unless she's a real weirdo, sorry," Cathy said. "I can lend you some diapers until you get settled in."

Erin sighed. "Well, sign me up I guess!"