The time has arrived

2005-03-30 - 4:55 a.m.

I'm still up. I am waiting for my Tylenol PMs to help relieve some jaw pain I am experiencing. My wisdom tooth is apparently saying, "Get me outta here!"

Owee. It's not excruciating, but it's annoying as f*ck.

---

Today, the electric company came and shut off my downstairs neighbor, Maria's electricity. In a little over a week (April 7th) her apartment is considered by law, abandoned, and her property will be taken to a storage shed where she will be able to retrieve it upon receipt of almost $1200.00. (It will be three month's back rent.)

The landlord was good enogh to say that it would be fine for me to go in with the people who are removing her things, and grab what is mine. Namely three or four lent DVDs and a dinner plate, and who knows what else.

I feel now that I can share with you what transpired the day that we were robbed a few months ago -- of all of our Christmas/grocery money. So, here goes...

I can say now, without a second thought, that it was Maria who robbed us of $380.00 this past holiday season. There are several reasons I didn't want to disclose this information before, but I feel fairly comfortable disclosing what I know, now.

One the day that the robbery happened, the scenario was as follows:

Maria was home "sick" that late afternoon. She told me that she was going to be 'sleeping in her living room', because her cable in her bedroom wasn't working, and she wanted to watch her soap.

"I'm going to run to the laundromat, but I'm leaving the door unlocked. Could you please keep an ear open so nobody goes into our apartment. I just took a few dollars from Nelson's wallet and I'm going to see if they have quarters in the laundromat change machine, but if not -- I'll grab them at the corner store", I said. "Nelson is sound asleep with Mumford."

They had quarters at the laundromat, and I just grabbed the next to last load of laundry from the dryer there, threw it in a bag to fold when I arrived home, and added quarters to the dryer for the next load.

I was home in three minutes.

Nelson was sound asleep in the bedroom with Mumford (our dog that we had to give up.)

Nelson woke up, got showered, grabbed his wallet and went to work. He made no stops, and worked all night long as usual. He arrived home the next morning, and took off his pants and put them in the bathroom, with the wallet still inside. He rarely goes into his wallet for anything if he doesn't have to make a purchase -- in fact, if I wanted to take a twenty for gas, I could and he'd be none the wiser -- but I digress.

After I woke up and showered myself, I told him that I needed some money to buy stuff so we could have a nice Thanksgiving dinner, and to grab a few Xmas gifts for his family.

There was no money in his wallet. A frantic search throughout our apartment revealed nothing. Not a damn penny.

The money was in his wallet the night before, when I was doing laundry. I took a five-dollar bill, and the rest of the money was THERE. I counted it -- and then I budgeted it to the last nickel.

So in summation, the only time the money could have turned up missing, was when Maria was on door-watch. The room that she says she was in was directly at the bottom of our stairs (our only exit).

And if nothing else, Nelson is not one to misplace $1, let alone three-hundred and eighty. He never even checked his wallet before he went to work.

Now here's where things really get odd. I called Maria shortly after we lost the money, and she -- very quickly, decided to join the 'search party'. She was up here for approximately twenty minutes. In that twenty minutes, she chain-smoked six cigarettes.

Maria doesn't smoke that much in five HOURS. ...Nervous about something, Maria???

Later that day, when I asked her to come shopping with me (I had just gotten out of detox and my first meeting), she agreed. I mentioned something in the car about having my webcam going at the time of the robbery. Her voice dropped three octaves, and became nervous. "I... didn't... know... you... could... leave it running..."

"I didn't have it running, I said "wouldn't it be funny if I had left it running? I'd know who robbed us!"

The frog in her throat then took a sabbatical.

I've always known that it was Maria, but it was last week when I spoke to my next door neighbor that sealed the deal. Maria had told me that our next-door neighbor had spotted an ex-tenant coming in and out of our building the night of the robbery. When I handed the neighbor my Avon order (skin moisturizer, sillies!), I brought up what Maria had said.

"I never said any such thing to her. Where does she come up with this stuff. She still owes me $3,000.00 for her..."

(I cut her off)

"...her dentures? The ones she never 'received'?"

"How did you know about that", she said.

"Well, Maria told me that her mouth was still producing bone-chips and her new dentures wouldn't be able to be fitted until they all came out."

"That's odd", said Maggie. (our next-door neighbor -- that's her name) "She told me that she had misplaced the money, but she was going to pay me back in installments!"

Don't hold your breath, Maggie.

Like I said, I've always known -- but I'm so lacking in the 'friends' department, that I am unable to admit it to myself (or anyone for that matter), when I am being manipulated. I see the signs. I know the score. I understand the consequences -- but I trust untrustworthies.

It's a good thing my life wasn't in her hands.

---

Then there is one last thing.

After I came toward the end of my stay at the hospital, I realized the second thing I had to do (the first was to seek help for my problem and stick with it this time -- which I've done, thankyouverymuch), was to look for a job. I quit Lexington (my old job) because it was an abusive situation for me (clients hitting me, ripping my clothes, ungodly hours, 14-hour Saturdays...) I quit before I even hit the level of detox. I knew the job situation would just make matters worse. I chose to pick up that drink, but my job was adding fuel to the fire.

"Don't worry about that", she said. "I've got your old job back with your ex-employer."

"You spoke with him?"

"Yep. All taken care of."

I was filled with hope, and my life seemed to be making a turn for the better. Of course, the story changed again upon my arrival home.

"He changed his mind. I'll talk to him again today."

Not only did she not speak to him about that. She also made a point of sharing everything that happened to me with him (which was, quite frankly, none of his damn business), and decided to throw in a few 'tall tales' about me as well.

There is a lot more to this story that is still bubbling beneath the surface. My guess is that the lies and thievery had caught up with Maria, and people were 'onto' her. There is certainly no lack of gossip in the pitiful little area, and that probably made for a very uncomfortable siuation for her.

Well, good!

I hope that wherever you are, Maria Gonzales -- you are wallowing in remorse for what you've done to me. Friends like you make enemies seem welcomed, and when the karma comes back to you times three, don't come looking for pity from me. Not this fool. Not now. Not ever.

And this is the point in which I say -- "If I believed in a hell, Maria -- I hope you burn there."

---

Thanks for reading this extraordinarily-long post. If you think that was annoying? These things are even moreso.

Now, if they could just make one with a little Maria running around -- I'd have a dozen iPods in an hour.

:-D

Thanks again for listening. This vent-session was, in my hmble opinion, one of the most cleansing. Ever.

Good night. Er... Morning...