Drama

Upon arriving home tonight, I was confronted with a soap opera level drama in the parking lot of the apartment building.

For a little background, I don’t believe I have mentioned it but I have all new neighbors.  I did mention that of the tenants in the other apartments in my building moved out between August and September.  It was rather nice during October to have the place to myself.  No worries about someone running the water while I am taking a shower, I could use the laundry room any time I wanted and there weren’t any loud parties, music or arguments to disturb my peace.  It was rather nice.

But my landlord seems to want to make money, and probably pay his mortgage as well, so he rented all of the other units and people have moved in.

The second floor apartment in the front has a young engaged couple that owns a big red pickup truck and a pit bull.  They also display a Confederate flag in the window of their bedroom.  Not to pass judgment or anything but can you get any classier than that???

The next apartment to be filled was the one right above mine.  A guy and his girlfriend and his friend (two guys and a girl) who happen to be co-workers of the girl in the other apartment.  They assured me they would try to be quiet and keep it down but they aren’t succeeding very well with that.  Music playing at a level that all I hear is the booming of the bass, people tramping up and down the stairs at all hours and a lot of stomping around on my ceiling.  Great.

The last apartment to be occupied was in the front on the first floor.  A woman and her son and another guy.  Wasn’t sure of the relationship of the third person to the other two but I didn’t think he was biologically related since he is black and the other two people are white.  I was thinking a foster son or friend of the son or something like that because she is older than me and the young black man is probably in his twenties.  But either way, they seem like a nice group of people and very quiet.  That is until tonight.

I came home after the Saturday service at church and the boy in the front first floor apartment informed me that his mom wanted to meet me and was going to talk to me as soon as she finished the conversation she was having with a friend of the people above me.  She came over, introduced herself and asked if I had spoken to the landlord about her that day.  I said I hadn’t and asked what this was all about.  She explained that her boyfriend, the young black man, had been upset earlier because someone had parked in one of their parking spots.  I said I was aware of that because he had pounded on my door asking if I knew who was parked there.  I had told him I had no idea and he grumbled something in anger and went off to ask at the other apartments.  She then went on to explain that the couple in the upstairs apartment above hers had complained to the landlord that everyone else, including Julie (me), had heard her threaten to hurt their big red truck.

This pretty much astounded me because it was a blatant lie.  Why would they tell that to the landlord?  It is such an easy thing to check on.  Why would they blatantly tell a lie like that?

We went on talking about it for a good twenty minutes or so and I assured her that I had no complaints with her, her son or her boyfriend. That I thought they were quiet and didn’t disturb me in the slightest.  I further explained that the people above me were a bit loud and I didn’t appreciate the smoke (pot and cigarette) that was drifting down to my apartment on occasion.  I also explained to her that our landlord has evicted people who disturb the common good.  So if the couple above her continued to lie, complain and otherwise cause problems, he would have no compunction in asking them to leave.  That made her feel better but she was worried that, since she was the last one there, she would be asked to leave first.  I told her that wouldn’t’ be the case and I would back her up with the landlord.

There were other things that happened while she and I were talking like people coming and going from the apartment above mine, all who seemed to know her because she used to be a teacher and they seemed to be all her former students. Then the girl in the upstairs front apartment opened her window and started shouting at people.  Really???  Another sign that they are just a class act up there (not to pass judgment or anything).

So, to sum up, the neighbors in the front apartment on the first floor are being lied about by the neighbors in the front apartment on the second floor who are involving their smoking (literally) friends in the back upstairs apartment and me. There is also a lot of shouting, accusations, text messages and complaints to the landlord. And it is only November 13!  The apartments have only been fully occupied for less than a month.  Imagine what will ensue over the coming months and years??? Should be interesting.

All of this really made for quite the little soap opera drama tonight.  Since I am not directly involved in any of it yet have a front row seat, I may just have to turn off the TV some nights, make some popcorn and sit on my steps and watch the drama unfold.  Maybe I could sell tickets.

“Come and watch the drama unfold at the apartment house! Cast of characters include a redneck couple with a pit bull, a group of twenty-somethings who smoke all kinds of interesting things and a nice woman, her boyfriend and son. Free popcorn!”

I was feeling kind of bummed that I didn’t have the place to myself but now life has this new dramatic entertaining twist that makes up for having new neighbors.

I’m sure there will be more stories to come…