Wednesday, August 03, 2016

I Don't Know You from Adam!

Fast forward to January 31st, after I got the job offer. During the day, that very Sunday, I got a text from Rene. He was going to have the money that evening and wanted to pay me that very night, so he could move in the very following day. This was an answer to my wishes because I had been trying to figure out how I was going to approach the issue of my starting a new job the following day. I just trusted that things would work out for the best and they did! Thank Goodness!
I wasn't looking forward to leave the comfy arms of my blue eyed gem to go tend to this charmer boy who thinks he's the best gift to womankind but it had to be done. Rene told me that he was at church with his spiritual Advisor (SA), they were going to come by in the evening. Sure, that would give me more time to hang out with my beau. There were all these new things about to take place in my life in the new month of February. New job with the boss who had hoped I was Filipina and a new roommate who had hoped I was white. Awesome!

I figured it would take Rene and his SA the same amount of time to get to mine as it would me coming from Calv's, so I asked him to let me know when they were heading there. He did and I made my home. They were going to take the bus from Santa Monica. He had already been to my place twice at this point and had left for the store and walked back, one of those times, so that's three times. He should feel like a local in my neighborhood, haha!

On my way home, I got a call from Rene asking me if I had a car, I told him yes? My walls automatically went up there and then because I had no intentions whatsoever to pick anyone up or drop anyone off. I am not Uber nor Lift! Nor Metro bus services! You need a ride? Use your book royalties and get you a Uber boo! (in my most American accent!). Rene didn't even ask me for a ride, he implied they needed one. He told me that they went to a completely wrong direction. The driver has never heard of my street, blah blah blah. Not only did this guy have my entire address including the area code, he has the closest big intersections from both sides; Streets like Wilshire and La Cienega. Those are major bus routes. Everyone in that area knows those streets. I understand that they were traveling at night but you pretty much have GPS Co-ordinates to my place. I never go anywhere without my map app. As a 46 year old, former successful guy with his Spiritual adviser by his side, who just spent the entire day at church, you would expect the odds to be in his favor that day!

I finally got home, they were not there yet but I wasn't expecting them to be with all the problems they were having. The thing is now, I wast at home, it was just after 10 pm and I  was expecting a strange man in my house with money. Talk about the odds! I had to just hope for the best. I sent Calvin all of Rene's details as I had them for backup and waited. I visualized that the meeting would go very well. Rene had told me over and over again (he likes to repeat himself), that he was going to bring his SA as a witness because he was scared to handle so much money alone. I was thinking to myself, what a guy! I am a woman, much younger than he is and he is going to be coming to my house, but I won't have security and yet he wants to bring one? Talk about bringing a gun to a knife fight!

Rene and his SA had another problem, they finally got off the bus but didn't know which way to go, 'so, you said you have a car, right?' Yeah, but I'm done driving for the day! 'Man! What a bad day! We are so tired, been on our feet the whole day. Now we're walking in the dark! I just want to give you this money! You know what I saying? I'm a man of my word know what I saying? I want to give you this money so I can get the peace I want! I want to prove to you that when I say I'm gonna do something I do it! I promised to give you this money tonight and I am going to! Rene says he's gonna do something, Rene does it! (the fck? Did he just refer to himself in third person?!??!?!?!?) It's just that SA and I are carrying this big duffel bag and it's hard walking around with this and we're so tired. Lord have mercy!'
I was rolling my eyes on the other side of the phone. Even if I was nicer, I wasn't going to put myself in harms way and go pick up a couple of strangers with my car in the middle of the night. As it is, I was going to let them into my house at night. I didn't know these two from Adam! Also, just because Rene said he was bringing SA along, that doesn't mean that's who he was with that night. Just because he gave me some money for deposit doesn't mean he couldn't set me up and hijack me or worse! You know what I mean? You have to practice some precaution!

I kept Calvin informed about the development of my night. I needed someone to know at all times what was going on. Let's face it, I once gave someone the impression I didn't have a boyfriend. In case I gave this neck kisser, the same impression, I wanted to make sure that the boyfriend was kept in the loop.

Eventually, they showed up! I heard their voices from three apartments down the hall. They're so loud! By then, no matter how friendly you are, you're so done! Fake smile on, let's go! I let them in, looked at them and thought man! This guy really reminds me of my brother. Back in the day, my brother would walk really long distances and just do things that are out there. It was part of the struggle. I'm so glad his life improved so much! Thank goodness! They sat on the floor, for whatever reason. In fact the SA sat on the floor, Rene, the man, sat on the couch. I didn't mind, either way. They paid (for the period of February 1st - March 1st), Rene tried to negotiate that February has fewer days therefore he needs to pay less. I was like, oh, you wanna pay the daily rate? {I had daily, weekly and monthly rate on my listing}. That's when he realised, I wasn't buying any of the bull he was selling me! Nobody cares if it's leap year, you pay the same amount for every month, you will never hear a tenant tell you, 'you know what? It's leap year, I included an extra day's rent in my check this month!' No! What they care about is discount! And I ain't mad! I love to save a buck too! But not at 11 pm, after you have turned someone off so much.

I counted the money and gave them a receipt. That's when Rene, the master of ceremonies, told me that it was too late for them to go home, they were going to spend the night

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