 |
|||||||||||||
 |
|
 |
|||||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||||||
So now I'm staying at my aunt's place because my landlord has kicked me out 5 days too early. She just showed up unexepctedly last Sunday morning, as I was about to leave for dance class and went all crazy... but before I go on, I have to explain what kind of person she is. People, you'll be surprised. I've never met anyone like that in my life. It's funny and tragic... She's very old, the mom of my father's good college friend. When I came to Moscow, this friend of my dad's persuaded his mom to let me rent her Moscow apartment, because she lives in another city anyway and she does need the money. However, she doesn't like to let strangers in, because it's just the way she is. When I met her, I was nervous because I'd heard she was a very harsh person who disliked nearly everyone. So I turned on my Sweet-ness mode and she liked me, she smiled and made pancakes for me. Back then she said: "I think I like you, because you didn't immediately act like you owned the place" When it got to payment discussion, she got pretty harsh and asked for a high price, so I had to explain that if I could afford a price like that, I'd go to an agency, so she agreed to take $400 rent. That's almost half my salary, and given the restrictions she set in the place (no visitors whatsoever, don't touch anything that's not yours, don't move the furniture, don't use anything that might brake, etc...) - it was a fair price. I said fine. What was I thinking?!?! Not only did she like me. The old lonely lady really liked me, so much, she wanted me to move in before she moved out, so we could chat and stuff... I said I'd rather stay with my aunt because it's family after all, and they like me staying there. She was upset, but asked me to move in the night before she leaves, so I'd help her take her stuff to the train station. That was crazy, but I agreed. That night I came there after work, we had tea and she said: "time to sleep now." I didn't argue. Next morning she woke me up at 5 AM and I helped her carry her stuff to the metro station, and rode half the way with her. She kept telling me stories about her life. Tragic stories, actually, I don't know if I wrote about them. Her story: She used to be very intelligent, making a lot of money during the soviet times, had two sons and a loving husband. After they moved to Moscow, everything went wrong. First, her younest son's fiancee was brutally murdered a week before the wedding, she was a daughter of some questionable businessman, and she got stabbed to death. That was in the 90-ies, the troublesome time in Russia, highlighted by very high crime rates. While she tried to console her son and take care of him, her husband got sick and was slowly dying. She said after her husband died, she no longer lived, but merely existed, they've been together for 28 years. A couple years after that her youngest son was also murdered, she still feels guilty for not being there with him that night. The problem with the older son, my father's friend, is that he got married to a girl she didn't approve of and can't get along with, that's why she keeps distance with their family. That's how she ended up being all alone. That's why she doesn't want to be in Moscow. That's why she got so crazy. I feel sorry for her, but I can't take all of her craziness... It's unbearable. Next time we met was after the New Year In winter she came to get the money and stayed at the apartment for a week. I stayed with my aunt. She got pissed at me becuase I didn't want to stay that week with her. She was hoping I'd entertain her a little. Sorry, I can't do that. She's overly annoying. She wouldn't let me watch some TV channels like MTV, instead always switching to some old movie channel. She'd get angry at people she sees on TV shows and yell that they are all stupid jews trying to take over the world. One time she said she could smell something and it was making her allergic, she's opened all the windows and it was freezing inside... She kept them open until she was sure the smell went away. She took down the pictures and poster I've put up on walls and forbid my to put anything over her precious wallpaper. She covered the chair and the couch by awful crimson fabric, so I wouldn't spoil the furniture. She duct-taped some of the cabinets, so I wouldn't be able to look in there. She hid all of my aromatic candles, leaving me a note that she's allergic to them and if I keep lighting them, the ceiling will go bad. But I felt sorry for her, so I just didn't argue and waited till she left. Then we had a conflict: In April Dima came to visit. Just at the same time when she was going to arrive for another one of her visits. Of course there was a big conflict. I explained that I'm not breaking rules, I haven't had any visitors - for real, I haven't. My only BF lives on the other end of the country and comes to visit me very rarely. She said we should go to the hotel. Hello, then what am I paying rent for??? I found another apartment, at a less price actually, a very convenient option close to my aunt's place. How did my landlord react to that? She called me and begged me to stay. Her words: "Yulia, please, you're like a grand daughter to me, I got really used to you. Forgive me, I'm just an old lady, sometimes I lose track of what I say, I didn't want to upset you and make you move out. You're just a kid, I understand that, we just had a small conflict, but it's not a reason for you to leave." Well, how could I not have stayed? She came over, Dima and I slept in the living room, she slept in the kitchen (It's like a studio, there aren't any other rooms). She sat in the living room and watched TV and yelled at the people again. She told me that I shouldn't be with Dima because even though he's a nice guy, he's not my race. (It's the same reason she so strongly disapproved of her older son's marriage and family). While I was at work, she told Dima that I was secretly using her old computer, which she had left in the apartment. That totally wasn't true, that machine is like 20 years old. She couldn't be convinced though. Early in the morning she woke us up, because she was searching through the room, mumbling something, opening windows, letting in the cold air... Luckily she left just the next day, but that felt quite enough. She asked Dima to take her to the train station. He said they had a lovely conversation and she said he was god-sent to her and wished him lots of happiness. Sometime I'd call her, just to check up on her. She'd be glad to hear from me, but sometimes those phone calls would get unbearable, she'd start crying, blaming people, giving me some stupid advice, or making her racist remarks. So I started calling her less and less, which she took as betrayal... Oh well. So last Sunday... well, next time, ok, it got really crazy and deserves and separate entry. Post a comment in response: |
| © 2002-2008. Blurty Journal. All rights reserved. |