Shortly after my last blog post, my character was unjustly attacked by Bee. Do you remember Bee? The, up until that point, kind old lesbian who let me rent a room? Well, she turned out to be a crazy. She told me that I was "the original party girl," and that I was going to end up getting all of our stuff robbed because I had a boyfriend... Tough to follow? Yeah, I thought so, too. It all came down to her being upset because when I cleaned the bathroom, I didn't clean it well enough. Does the connection between those two things make any sense to you? No? That's exactly right.
Moving forward a couple more months. I have been doing my best to clean extra. I not only clean up after myself, but I find myself following behind my other roommate and making sure she hasn't left any messes around, because I have a building anxiety that Bee will blame me for anything. It is now the week before Christmas, and I am miserable. I miss my family and my friends. And, because of Bee's new crazy rules, I can't even see Rickey on a steady basis. WARNING: This is where my life becomes a terrible Lifetime movie subject. Bee sits us down for a roommate meeting, which I was told was going to be about her extended absence over the winter months, when she spends most of her time at her cottage in Michigan. Suddenly, she is taking out half a dozen liquor bottles and telling me I need to move out. Her liquor is watered down and clearly the only explanation is that Rickey and I are both thieving drunks. Never mind the fact that he and I don't drink liquor, and when we have wanted to have a drink, we have always brought wine or beer into the apartment ourselves. And never mind the fact that since that liquor was purchased in 2009 (she labels everything she buys with a date), she has rented to numerous other girls, many under age and unable to purchase liquor for themselves. She tells me that I have two days to get out. She also pulls out a list of my family members' names, phone numbers, and home addresses, threatening to call them all and tell them what a mess I was making of my life. She tells me that she's already talked to the landlord (later I learned that was a lie) and he will call the cops if he sees Rickey on the property at all. She tells me that she's also talked to our old roommate (I soon learned that was a lie as well) and told her what I had done, so I couldn't start bad mouthing Bee on Facebook. At this point, I am completely panicked. On the one hand, I know that neither Rickey nor I had taken anything (even if it was him, he was never alone in my apartment long enough to consume that much. And even if he did have the time. . . I'm not a moron. I would notice if my boyfriend was suddenly drunk), but on the other, I have absolutely nobody to go to, anywhere to go to, or any money to get there. I am absolutely panicked that I am going to be homeless in Chicago five days before Christmas. But wait! Oh, the Great and Gracious Bee is willing to make an agreement. If I write out a formal apology to both roommates for being such a massive fuck up, and if I agree to pay her back for every bottle of liquor (she had already looked up the prices = $125), and if I agreed to never have a visitor over (even mutual friends could never be my guests. They had to be the other roommate's guests. And there goes Andrea visiting me next month...), and if I agree to stay at least until April, then I don't have to move out. But if I break any of these rules, I don't get two days to pack. I am out that day. But, the Great and Gracious Bee won't make me pay for her two missing earrings - which is so kind of her, considering I have never even seen the inside of her bedroom.
And so that's where I have been. Stuck as a prisoner in my own home. Not knowing who I could trust - who would believe me. And momentarily letting myself believe that maybe Chicago was right about me, and I was a horrible, wretched person who steals and lies and sleeps around. Oh wait, No I'm not! I'm me. I'm Kalah. I'm kind and my life is full of wonderful, beautiful people encouraging my dreams every day. They know who I am. They have seen me at my best and worst. Not this controlling, lying, bully. And so I began to make changes. I wouldn't be able to move out without a security deposit, and there was no telling whether she would even hand that over if I stayed through until April. I needed to make more money. So I got a nanny job. And then I needed to move so my life wouldn't be so miserable after I left work every day. I wanted to get out before I would have to give Bee rent for March. On February 28th, Rickey and I went early to look at a place. Got the keys, rented a ZipVan, packed my things in a record 1 hour, and left that pit of despair behind. If you ever wondered what freedom looked like, it is this right here:
And now we live in a neighborhood called Albany Park. I am pleased with it because it puts me closer to work and we are mere blocks from a pretty good Thai place. Our roommate is best described as Dan Armerding, if Dan were heavily medicated by every pill developed for overactive children. He's a lighting designer, which delights the theatre nerd inside me to an immense degree. The stress level in my life has decreased by about 1000% since moving, and I no longer cry every night. So all in all, things are looking up. Other factors in my life that are the opposite of soul-sucking include:
My Boy:
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| Two great guys |
My Job:
I get to hang out with two cool guys all day. That is literally my job summery. They are both excellent, super smart, very respectful kids. And such positive attitudes! Finn just turned four and Owen is fifteen months. Man, they are cool kids. My day pretty much goes like this: I show up and we play for two hours. Then snack. Then play some more, go to a class or the library, lunch. Owen naps while Finn and I play quiet games. Then snack. Then Owen wakes up and we all play for another hour and I go home. BAM! And, here's the zinger: I get paid to do this!
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| Owen. So, so bundled. |
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| Finn and the zoo, two of my favs. |
So all that is to say: If your life is shit, just work to make it better. This has been Kalah Mazac, reporting from Chicago. Over and out.
