How Do People Do This?

[julie515]

This whole thing started at the end of last month.  My mom called and asked me if I wanted to go home for my sister's wedding.  Of course I say yes, but only for two weeks.  My mom calls me back and bought me tickets for three days later for two and a half months.  I did not have enough money to change the ticket, so of course I had to go.

Before I go, I ask my neighbors what I should do with my pets and about housing.  One neighbor (lets call her Cathy) tells me that I should go and let them take care of the house.  She tells me that several people left their houses for months at a time and they never got caught.

I go home and see almost all of my friends and met the "future brother-in-law," the day before my sister decided not to get married.  Then, my son had gotten the worst cold ever and wouldn't sleep at all; which of course meant that I did not sleep at all.

Then, a ten days after being home, the neighbor who was watching my dog (lets call her Anne) calls me and tells me my dog is sick.  I call another neighbor (lets call her Betty) who was helping Anne whenever she had questions.  Betty says she'll call me if he gets worse.

I get ready to go Christmas shopping.  While I'm in the shower, I hear my friend (who's house I am staying at scream).  Her daughter was trying to close the door and my son's finger was stuck in the jam.  His finger looked funny and was bleeding.  I rush to get ready to leave the house.  As I am trying to put a jacket on him (it's Alaska, he's needs something on), Betty calls and says that she can watch my dog if I can put money into her account.  I try to tell her to just take my dog and I'll pay her later.  She asks why I was being weird and I explain and she says "Well, it's three o'clock in the morning here."  LIke that is more important than my one year old son having a broken finger.  Well, his finger wasn't broken, just really beat up.  I stayed up, yet again, with him as he cried all night.

The next day, after two hours of sleep, Betty calls me and demands money before she can watch my dog.  But, she cannot take him to her house.  She does say that his poop is normal though.  I get up and start calling every boarding kennel in town and they are all full.  I call housing and explain everything to them.  I call the dog pound and ask them for help.  I finally find someone to watch my dog who is willing to take him into their house.

I call Anne to tell her this and she gives the phone to Cathy.  Cathy proceeds to yell at me.  I figure out that the dog pound came and took my dog.  She says that I have five days to pick him up.  I also have housing saying they were going to kick me out and put my neighbors into jail for having keys.  She says that she told me that I should have filled out some paper work.  When she said that, I burst and started yelling at her.  Another neighbor (lets call her Dorothy) takes the phone and starts yelling at me.  I sit and listen for a few minutes and finally tell her I have to go.

Once I get her to hang up, I call and get a plane ticket back.  The plane was leaving eight hours from then and I stayed up all night packing and getting ready.  I then spent the next 23 hours on planes and at airports, which means no sleep.  I also call housing and talk to the manager, who says that no such claims were made and assures me that I was not getting kicked out of my house.

Once I get home, Anne picks me up with Cathy.  Anne and Cathy talk to each other and ignore me the whole way back.  Once we get to our house, I tell them what the housing manager said and Cathy gets Dorothy.  They start yelling at me again and I brush them off so I can go to sleep.  I slept that day and through the night.

The next morning, Anne comes over and asks if I am mad at her and taking advantage of her.  I tell her no on both accounts and she says that she is not mad at me.  Dorothy comes over and says that she wants to apologize.  We go over the last 36 hours and I explain exactly what I was doing.  She said that basically, while I was gone, things happened and I got the brunt end of it.

Betty comes over and acts like there is no problem; letting me know that she is okay.  Cathy on the other hand is still drawing things out and making the neighbors feel uncomfortable.  I think that she is getting over it though because I ignore her.

I then spend the next five days putting my life back in order.  I go and get my dog and cat from the pound, I replace all of my groceries, I went Christmas shopping, and I bought my son his new bedroom set.  When my husband calls me (he is in Iraq), I go outside to smoke a cigarette and end up locking myself out with my son still inside.  I call the police and they proceed to tell me that if I do not clean my house they will call children services on me.

I have spent the last four days trying to keep my house clean and I'm going to burst at the seams.  How do people deal with this?  I want to cry and scream and give up.  Of course, I'm not going to.  But, if one more thing happens, I am going to snap.

[youngs_wifey05]

Jan. 5, 2009 at 12:18 AM

yeah. that sucked.