Picture's of Perry's house

Posing during my break at Avon's Facility's Car show (New Jersey)

Cheap boots ($2) from Walmart. Lasted Maximum 2 weeks

Snow Storm after Hurricane Sandy Pic

The snow Storm. View From Avon's Balcony (New Jersey)

More snow

In Perry's Car (Sand Diego)

The Boots Perry bought me at Marshall's

More Sand Diego

Seafood from the Bay Area, S.Diego

If you squint real good, you can see Perry barbecue behind me.

His bedroom, don't mind the mess, the floor? They were renovating when wife left.

The living room. Very comfy couch

The canyon behind his property

Selfie next to our Christmas tree. He had already broken up with me when this was taken 

Perry's bathroom. He had his, I had mine

The third bedroom, that was going to be my office according to the original plan

The kitchen. I told you the house was brown! Cute fridge!

What used to be the game room, before wife took Perry to the cleaner's

Part of his office, where he worked as an Architect

Linen Closet

Swimming pool and view from the backyard

I Love to F*ck, Sucking's Good Too!

the following morning, getting ready for work

Just before I moved to Laura's, I went downtown Salt Lake City to hang out. I took the Train back. I got in and saw this person at the back seat of my carriage, (s)he had a huge smile and was like "HIIIIII!' I thought that was sweet. I waved back and sat in front of her. She was listening to music on her walk-man and was singing along to the top of her voice. I turned around to have another look at this person, she smiled and told me, "Brandy! Love her!" I smiled back and said, me too! She asked me for directions to a nail salon in Cindy's neighbourhood. I told her I was going that direction. We got off at the same stop and waited for a connection.

We had a nice talk while waiting for the bus. It was a good twenty minute wait. She asked me about myself. I was very stressed out about the situation at home (Cindy's). Cindy was at home that day, that made things worse, that's why I went out. I couldn't be in the same house with someone who is supposed to be my friend but won't utter one word to me. She blurted out, 'you can come live with me! Move in today!' What? Just like that? 'yeah, why not? I love helping people. You don't have to pay rent, just buy your own food'. I told her I would think about it and if I took her up on the offer, I would need to compensate her somehow. She said that I would then have to buy food for both of us.. She works in a Nursing home type place as admin. Apparently she had just finished work, she was on her way to treating herself with nails and eyelashes with money she got from her 'sugar daddies'. She told me I looked like I need a man in my life, one who will not sleep with me but spoil me rotten. She could hook me up.

While waiting at the bus stop, she kept pointing at the cars passing by, waving her wallet. This was in broad daylight! Finally the bus arrived, it was a short ride to the salon. She invited me for dinner in a Hawaiian restaurant that evening. She told me I could spend the night at hers or move in or whatever. I told her, maybe I would spend the night, check the location of the place out, see if I could be able to commute to work from there. She gave me her phone number. She also told me that they were hiring CNA's where she worked, she gave me that number too. I called them, they wanted to see me the following day for an interview. She told me we could leave her house together the following morning, she was going to take a cab. She would be looking too cute after her trip to the salon to take public transportation to work. #WORK!

I left her at the salon and rushed to Cindy's to get a change of clothes. I was scheduled to work the following night. I needed presentable clothes for the interview the following morning as well. I was excited to have somewhere else to be that night! I grabbed a few items and rushed back to the salon. I called her on my way back, to double check if she was still there. She never picked up. Great! I saw her approach the bus stop as I got to the shopping centre. I almost missed her. I was like, dude, were you leaving? She said, 'I knew you were going to catch up'. How? Where? What? It was going to be another long wait before the bus,  the stop was at a traffic light. She was pointing at the men passing by in cars, pointing at her ass and licking her fingers hehehehee, I still can't believe what I witnessed that afternoon! I was thinking to myself, Is this happening? Am I dreaming? Should I go back to the house? Screw it, anything was better than the atmosphere in that house. Plus, I could just go for dinner with her, see how that goes and then decided whether or not to go home with her. I hadn't told anybody I was not going to be home that night, and I had my own keys.

I would tell that girl to stop it, I was embarrassed, she didn't care, she was having too much fun. this chick is like, really tall, she is huge, kinda looks like a man, but is very feminine. I don't know anybody like her in real life. She knew all the bus drivers, she would chat with them while they stopped at the light. Come to think of it, I met someone like her while in high school, She tried to seduce me. Let me know if you wanna hear that story. Anyway, bus came, we headed for the restaurant. I had never been that side of town before. There were a few restaurants lined up, it was nice and very busy. Right across the street from the train station.

She recommended something for me to eat, Chicken, port, rice, salad, the whole shebang! It was a nice meal, she had a small meal, and a ton of extras which made it seem lie a meal for four. She finished that, got bored, ordered more food, and then more and more! She told me she got the money from two of her sugar daddies, she doesn't sleep with them, they like to spoil her, so they give her money. One gave her $150 (R1 500), the other gave her $200 (R2 000). Not too bad for a girl who may be mistaken for a man. Just saying!

She chatted with everybody at the restaurant. She recognised some of them, some knew her, it was interesting. Everybody knows her! We finished dinner around 7pm. I asked her how much longer we were going to stay at the restaurant. Mind you, this is someone who told me she hangs out on the trains. She told me if you ever feel bored and can't get hold of me, take the trains, you're bound to bump into me! (She doesn't have a cellphone. The number she had given me was for her house phone. Yep, she has a house phone at this day in age! She told me to hang out at the restaurant for another hour or so.

I was like, yeah, I can't do that. I was beginning to wonder if chick actually had a place to stay! Who hangs out on the train after work? Does this girl even have a job? She had worn out flip plops on. She told me it's hard for he to wear nice, girly shoes because they don't have her shoe size. I told you she is ginormous. Sad for her because she really is to girlieness, she even had glitter all over her arms, I love me some glitter. I didn't love her enough to sleep under the bridge with her though. I told her I was going to stay another half hour, then we had to leave, or I was going to go back to Cindy's. She told me I could leave there and then if I wanted. Or I could wait and go home with her, the choice was mine. I stayed the thirty minutes, I was in no rush. Plus she was shockingly entertaining.

Waiting for a cab outside her apartment. She had this skirt on the previous day and slept in it that night. Zoom in for the new nails 

Twenty  minutes or so later, she ordered more food to take home. She ordered 19 servings of some seaweed wrapped, rice and chicken fillet thing. Those things are huge! She told me she was going to take them to work the following day and treat her colleagues. I thought that was sweet and generous of her. She had three at the train station while waiting for the train. We did leave after thirty minutes as I had requested. She knew the train driver.


She told me that she was originally from Los Angeles, her whole family is still there. She was married once, her husband died ten years ago. They have three kids together, the youngest is six. Do the math or I'll help you out, Husband died ten years ago, four years after, they had another child. She was abused as a child, so she didn't have a good relationship with her family. That's why she moved to Utah. Everybody called her Roxy. That's not how she introduced herself to me but ok.

There was a lady sitting across from us on the train. She had a name tag on, Natasha or something. Roxy, was like, Natasha, are you going to the intercultural event this coming Saturday? That lady could have died! LMAO. Heck, I could have died! From Embarrassment! The poor lady was trying to read. She talked to her until we had to get off.

She knew everybody in the neighborhood! I was memorising the way to her place so that I could go back easily should the need arise. Everything was still up in the air. Finally, we arrived at her apartment block! It was nice! Even looked new! We walked up the stairs to her apartment. She actually had keys to the place. It was a huge one bedroom, H.U.G.E! Fully furnished. Living room, space for dining room set, kitchen, huge bathroom, bedroom, laundry and extra storage. I was almost jealous! She told me I could either use the couch in the living room but she wouldn't recommend it, people have had sex on there. I thought it was interesting that she said people had sex there, she didn't say she did.

We went over to her bedroom. The mattress was on the floor. Don't ask!Or do, she told me, her boyfriend broke the bed. Now, don't ask :)

She had a small TV in the bedroom. She had a movie on pause, she told me to have a seat on the bed. I didn't know where to sit the thing was filthy! She could tell I was uncomfortable, she took out fresh linen from the closet and spread over the bed and covered up the pillow next to me. That was nice of her. Don't you love it when people can read between the lines?

We watched a movie I had always wanted to see but always forgot haha, Burlesque. I enjoyed it. She did tell me what was going to happen in the movie, just before it did, that was a challenge, to ignore her when she did that, with love. You know, because she was still being nice, so you don't wanna be that mean guest! She checked her phone messages. All from men! Different men!

She opened up her take out (away) container and had more of those rice things she bought for her colleagues. She dialed some number with voice prompts, followed those and ended up somewhere where men were looking for women for various acts. One of them sounded very frustrated, His message was, "Will any woman in Salt Lake City please kick me in the balls?" They wall wanted things that were out there, these men. I know that because Roxy had the phone on speaker. She responded to a ton, if not all the messages. Some called her back. She also left her own ads where she would say something along the lines of, 'Hi, my name's Christmas (she really did say that!), it's my birthday today (it wasn't), I am looking to get spoiled. I love to fck, sucking's good, an*l's good too, I will do anything in exchange for you to pay for my hair. Call me back!' I guess that's how she got the money for nails and eyelashes. She did say she didn't have sex with them. Does kicking somebody in the nuts groin area count as sex?

She talked to those people the whole night, they even made arrangements to meet up. I was freaking out thinking what was going to happen to me when those people came over. One of her friends came by before bed. It was a female, she had a pair of shoes she didn't want in her bag. She offered me those, I was like, no thanks, I don't think they will fit. She was like go head, try them on! I did, they did! Darn it! I had to come up with another excuse. I didn't take them.

I did take this outfit that Roxy gave me. I couldn't wait to take it off, she forced me to try it on. The mattress I slept on that night. Pic taken in her bedroom

The house was filthy! The bathroom was worse than a public bathroom! I was like, no way in hell I'm gonna live here! That place was beyond! She and her friend talked about case workers. Looked like she was on some kind of social services type benefit. She told me they pay for the apartment, she only has to pay a small portion. She was up all night eating the 19 things and talking on the phone, looking for someone who could spoil her. I was up all night too. Trying not to die in my sleep from the shock of it all. And I was keeping an eye on my stuff. I had my cell and my walled under my pillow. She gave me a mattress to use in the dining room area and fresh linen. The mattress was new, it came from her closet. She told me her friends don't know about the things she was letting me use. They are for special people. That was sweet.

When it came time to leave for work, she came out of her bedroom already dressed, all done up and everything. She hadn't been to the bathroom! Go figure! I needed a thorough shower just due to all the stuff I overheard from her phone conversations that night! She told me I was welcome to use the shower.Yeah sure! i wiped my face, poured tons of cologne on me, brushed my teeth, made sure nothing touched nothing, or else it was going to be disposed of!

She called a cab driver she knows, remember she knows everybody! He came by in about ten minutes. Off we went to her work! She left for her office, told me to find her that afternoon and arrange moving. OR call her that night, she is usually home after 8pm, she finishes work around 2pm by the way! The rest of the time is spent on the trains. Whatever works for her, I guess.

I knew I was going to be back there over my dead body. I couldn't tell her that because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I couldn't wait to go home and tell my friend Cindy what a night I had had! Then I remembered, she was no longer talking to me!

Brook, Do You Want Me to Call The Police?

My roommate was spending all her time in the closet, whenever she came out, her pupils were dilated as hell. She aways had her limbs covered up. and always wore her hair long. Whenever her hair would move away from her back, she would pull her top up to cover up the back of her neck. I noticed that she had fresh scars on her arms. they looked like cigarette burns. even though she says she isn't, she only does it once in a blue moon, she's a smoker. She smokes a pack a day or day and a half, that's regular smoking!

Once in a blue moon, she would go to her sister's. She went the first time since I had moved in to help her sister with a yard sale. apparently her sister was going to pay her with the money they were going to sell the bicycle with or with the bicycle itself. They sold nothing that day but the bicycle haha, and the guy paid by check! hahaha all her stories were like that, damned if you do, damned if you don't. She came back with some kind of a detector. She told me they used it at her sister's to see if there were any cameras because she believes her sister's boyfriend is no good and has put up cameras all over the house. The alarm went off all over her sister's house. She tested it at our place because Laura believed that her ex boyfriend who had come back into her life to "use" her had left cameras in there.

This man, who was apparently they love of her life, she dated 12 years ago. She told me he broke her heart, then I later found out that she got the guy hooked on cocaine. Even though she herself was never addicted. Years after, they bumped into each other, got back together but things were different, all he did was go to the house, have her do her laundry, iron her clothes and feed her, then leave. She told me she had a feeling he was homeless and may have been an informer because all of Laura's friends who were on drugs go arrested around the time the guy was back in her life. She thought he was working with the police. Don't ask!

The guy stopped taking her calls after giving her a nice gift: an animal print Guess bag. She told me she never used that bag because she believed it he was spying on her. She emptied the bag in front of me with me standing there totally out of my element, watching, there was nothing in the bag. She hid it in the linen closet in the hallway, she didn't want the guy eavesdropping on her phone calls. The detector thing went off all over the condo. I asked her to take it outside, as far away as possible from our place, to see if it was going to go off there or not. I really thought the thing's battery was dying. She did and the thing still went off. She replaced its battery, it stopped going off.

She got a notice from The town hall that they were going to disconnect our lights in a week's time. She let that slip, then tried to cover up but it was too late. Her sister violated probation, she got arrested. Laura was going to move to her sister's place. She wasn't going to bother paying her utility bills, it was better for her to move to her sister's mansion and take care of things there before the no good boyfriend of her sister's stole from her house. Er, what about me?

One other reason Laura didn't get along with her sister's boyfriend who is Laura's fiance's cousin is that he raped her. Allegedly! Laura used to clean houses and businesses, the sister's boyfriend hired her to clean for her, and then raped her. According to Laura, she never cried, said no or told anybody about it until months after. I picked up from her stories that she had asked the guy for money, he propositioned sex from her in exchanged, he agreed and then paid her as per deal. I was like, you know what, I can't even handle these stories anymore. I don't care what people do with their lives, but don't lie to me about it! Especially when I didn't even ask!

She got busy selling pills, the busier she got, the more scared I became. I started looking for another place to stay. The more of her stories I heard, the more red flags. I had to go!

One of the ads I responded to was of a guy who had three sons who lived with his ex wife but were with him every other weekend. He had two spare bedrooms, he wanted to rend one out. I told MB about it, she offered to take me to view the place. I also responded to an add about a girl who was looking for a roommate in the same suburb. This is the same area Laura and I lived, where I worked. It used to take me 15 minutes from Laura's place to the bus stop, a few minutes by bus then 20 minutes walk to work. It was a bit of a schlep for me, that's one of the reasons I couldn't live there permanently, even if the roommate situation were different.

I emailed the guy back as well as the girl. The girl never got back to me. I was more interested in hers because she was 20 mins walking distance to my job. It would've been perfect. the guy's was cheaper, and farther. After work, MB and I made our way there. The guy seemed nice, he had offered to pick me up, but we didn't want that. I wanted to have someone with me for security. He was too eager too, which can be a red flag. We spent about an hour or so at his. He made us play a game he designed with his friends. They were expecting to make a lot of money with it. It was a fun game!

He was very hyper, handsome guy with greyish eyes! He gave me the key and told me I could move in immediately, stay the last two weeks of June free and start paying in July. For a moment, I had a weird feeling in my heart when I accepted the key. MB took me to Laura's, I quickly packed while Laura was in her closet talking to herself. She told me I would get my deposit back at the end of July. Heavens knows why. If I am moving out now, please give me my f#cking deposit back now? Thanks!

We planned to meet up for her birthday, I took the keys with me on account of, no deposit, no keys.

Just after I got all my stuff in the car, I got a call from the girl! The place was still available, I could go see it if I wanted. F.*.C.K! MB was like, it's that girl, isn't it? I could tell from your responses, yeah, rocket science! Whatever! She told me I wasn't going to go to that girl's house. That man was nice to me, he even offered me to stay there free for two weeks, which meant me getting out of Laura's house, which I clearly needed. I was like yeah but I have a very good feeling about this girl's place! She was like, I am telling you this guy's is the place you wanna be. I'm taking you there. If you go to this girl's house, don't ever ask me to move you again. I won't do it!

She took me to Grey's house. I told the girl I had already found a place, I felt so bad. I was working that night, and the following few nights so no time to unpack, I just took out my scrubs (uniform) that's all. The guy was home when I got there. He helped me fix up my room, then left for work. He had his own construction business. He was nice enough to take me to work that night. I got a ride from my friend the next morning. I spent the rest of the day, just chilling at home. Roommate came home that afternoon and asked for copies of my ID for his probation officer. I told him I would give them to him as soon as I had them then ran upstairs,locked myself in my room and was like, PROBATION OFFICER????!!!?!?!? Red flag! I went to the laundry room to do some laundry, and found weed in the hamper (washing basket). I was like, this guy is supposed to be on probation and I know for a fact weed is not legal in the state of Utah! I said nothing. He came home, talked and talked, it came out that he used to be bad but he changed, after prison. He was in prison for four years, that's where the game was designed. His friends are still bad, but I should turn a blind eye. They will stay out of my way, when I see them, I should lock myself up in my room so that I don't have to answer to anybody should need be.

He took a random shower in the afternoon while I was in my room. We shared the bathroom. He called me to talk about his kids coming over that night. He had the bathroom door open the entire time he bathed, lucky  I didn't need to use the bathroom. I went down to talk to him, stood by the stairway so as not to seem him in his nakedness. He came out wiping himself with a towel, talked to me as if he wasn't completely naked with a towel only covering his crotch. He turned around, his back toward me, totally naked, and wiped his crotch, SMDH. The things I see in this world, seriously!

After our conversation, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to deal with another uncomfortable rooming situation especially with a man. I called the girl up. The place was still available. I made an appointment to view, walk thirty minutes to the nearest train station, took the metro and went and viewed the place. I loved it! I negotiated $25 off, I tried fifty but we settled on 25 haha, cheapskate! I got the place! It was only available the following month, July.

MB was working, she called to check up on me. I told her I couldn't talk over the phone but if she could come over. She did that morning after work. My place was en route her place. She called me on her way and asked if she should call the police. Go figure! I was like, no, I'm safe, Just can't talk right now. BROOK, ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANT ME TO CALL THE POLICE? Yes, I am fine! She came over, her heart beating out of her chest. Her freaking out so much gave me the feeling, just like me, she didn't have a nice feeling about that guy, even though she practically forced me to move in with him. We talked in the car, while doing so, a random woman came out the house, haha! She had her own car parked in the street. Anyway, none of my business. MB told me in no uncertain terms that I was to stay with that man even if I stayed the rent free two weeks and then moved out to the girl's. I was not to move back to Laura's, that place wasn't safe for me. It wasn't but which place was?

I wasn't going to use the poor man by staying at his place and then move out when it suited me without even paying a cent. Karma is a female dog! I just went with whatever MB was saying though. She was very passionate about it, I didn't wanna ruin her vibe. After she left, I ran back to my room and packed. Laura and I had been in touch since moving in. She had hinted that she might move in with her sister that very week. Which meant I was never going to get my deposit back. Where was I going to find her?

I told her I might be moving back in, she told me she didn't think that was a good idea because she was moving out. I moved back in anyway. I had paid for all of June, wasn't going to get my deposit back, might as well stay the rest of my paid month. I never unpacked, I lived off my bags until the end of the month. What was the point?

I left a note for Grey's that I was sorry but blah blah blah, I had to put it very nicely, I didn't want to hurt his feelings, he was nothing but nice to me, albeit weird, but he was nice. I called a cab and moved back to Laura's. Good thing I still had my keys. I was only gone for two to three nights.

I Can See Myself Falling In Love With You

I met someone else online, Michael! He is tall, 6ft5 (just under 196cm or just under a metre). Blonde, blue eyes, seemed nice enough. After he asked for my number, he actually called. He had a Las Vegas Number. Here in the  Us, it doesn’t matter who your service provider is, they allocate you a number according to where you live, or at least, where you tell them you live. He had lived in Las Vegas for a while, I thought that was cool. Listen, I was in Utah, anything was exciting to me! He worked as a printer, he told me he had been doing that all his life, he was in his early 40’s when we met. He told me he had printed everything from the Book of Mormon to Porn. Again, cool! Right?

We talked a few times over the phone and arranged to meet. We set up to meet on a Sunday. I was working the Saturday before that. I remember working so much, overtime, twelve hour shifts, (regular work was 8 hrs per shift), that I was so tired and sleep deprived. I rushed for the bus stop that Saturday and was too tired to run up the hill, I was like, I can’t, I walked as fast as I could but missed the bus. I was waiting at the traffic when it passed on the other side. That sucked! I looked up the next bus on maps, if I had waited for the following bus, I would have ended up being late. Utah, no public transport, especially weekends.  I started walking. Towards work, I ended up walking all the way there! It took me more than an hour, walking on freeways and sht, I was too pissed to call a cab. I didn’t leave the house two hours before work to take a cab. Michael texted while in the midst of my long walk to freedom. He had told me that our date wasn’t gonna be that great because he wasn’t getting paid for another week or so. But he wanted to see me. Next thing I knew, he was texting me telling me he was in my neck of the woods. What was he doing there? Test driving a truck! Oh yeah, fun! We chatted a bit, I mean I wasn’t gonna tell him I was walking to work. That’s not cute! Plus I was definitely not going to ask him for a ride! I walked more than 3.5miles (5.5 km) at night. I arrived at work just before ten pm.

After a few hours since test driving, Michael sent me a text that he bought the truck! HE BOUGHT A TRUCK. I was like wow, if he can afford to buy a truck when he is broke, I wonder what he can afford when he has money. I was excited to meet him the following day and to see the new truck.

I finished work, MB dropped me off, my payment to her was buying her breakfast every other day of giving me rides. I took a nap, Michael called around 1 that afternoon. We were both off that day. Roommate was home, in her closet. I told her I had a date that night. She was excited for me, she wanted to know all about it. There wasn’t much to be said cos Mike and I had only  just started talking. He came over to pick me up around 8 that night. We both didn’t know where we were going. I hate that. I am ok with not knowing where we are going as long as the guy knows, for them not to take the time to plan where we’re going is sloppy to me. He arrived in his huge truck, I’m talking one of those unbelievable tall and big trucks, he tried to park in our visitor’s parking but the thing didn’t fit (that’s what she said haha). Laura was like, there he is! This looks like the last truck I owned but mine was more expensive. I’m like, what? You don’t even know how much his cost! She’s like it is new? I asked her why she would automatically assume that he bought a second car when she didn’t even know him. Heck, I didn’t know him either. She said, well he’s is a Chevy, mine was a Ford. His was a Ford too! I don’t know why she was so obsessed with making a weird point that nobody cared about. The bottom line was he was driving that truck and she didn’t own nothing but a bunch of mug shots and Live Love Laugh sht, have a seat! He ended up parking elsewhere, he called to tell me he was here. I knew he was, I saw the truck, you can’t miss it! I went out and when our eyes met, his eyes popped and his jaw literally dropped. Listen, I wasn’t even dressed cute, a simple black dress and heels from Aldo. Red lipstick and that was it. I didn’t know where we were going, so I had to keep it neutral.

He got out of the truck to greet me. That man is tall! He is the tallest man I have ever dated! So much cuter in person with those blue eyes! I am such a sucker for blue eyes #AutomaticPantyDropper. Check out what he had on :- Cargo shorts, khaki, socks that came up to the calf (don’t forget he had shorts on), a sleeveless t-shirt. Not a wife-beater (aka a Chris Brown haha) , I don’t know what they are called. He seems to have a collection because he had a different one on in his picture. That’s what my date on. He was like, oh no, I am so underdressed. No you’re not, Michael, you didn’t plan where we’re going so, I didn’t know what to wear. Of course I didn’t tell him that. I was hot and thirsty, He asked me if there was anywhere in particular I wanted to go. I told him I needed some water, I didn’t care where we went thereafter. He told me as long as I knew that he was on a budget, so we were gonna go on a cheap date. Really? And you bought a car yesterday! After you told me you were broke. Guys from Utah, are the cheapest I have ever dated in my life! Paul, the old man with a runny nose and mouth and eyes, is still the most normal date I went on in Utah, only, it was too awkward to be normal.

We went to the nearest gas station, got two big waters. And asked where to next? Er, a restaurant, who doesn’t know that? You wanna take me to the park too? At 9pm? Or would you like to take me to church? Side note - He has a few tattoos, one on his arm and one on the calf, love the one on the calf. Too cool! He told me seeing as I am new in Salt Lake, he was going to show me his favourite spot. He took me to the mountain! We went freewheeling in his new truck, what! Awesomest experience! I never experienced a car driving sideways on a 90 degree rock, so thrilling! Man, it was a fun time! We found a picnic table, got off to chill and talk a bit. The truck was too high for me to get on or off by myself, he had to help me. I took a couple of pictures on the mountain top, we were literally on the peak of the mountain! Actually, we weren’t that far from Laura’s boyfriend’s prison.

The view of Salt Lake City County from the mountain top was amazing! I die for stuff like that! From there, I was famished because I hadn’t had dinner thinking I was about to go on a date. I told him I was hungry. We looked for a restaurant and of course, it being Utah, and Sunday, all places were closed. Oh Utah, WTF is wrong with Thee? Alas, we had to go to Mc Donald’s. I told him to just get us large fries, I wasn’t gonna sit at a Mc Donald’s on my date, heyl naw! He did that, we shared the fries, got some gas, drove to a mountain on the other side of town. He took me to a few Ski Resorts, we didn’t go in, just to see, we drove past a few wild animals on that route. It was pretty rad!

After that, he told me we weren’t that far from his place, we could drive past there, he could fix me something to eat, I was like, yeah sure and you won’t try to seduce me. He assured me he wouldn’t and said the most famous last lines – I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.  Yuck, men, please quit using that line! I agreed. We went over to his place. Lots of apartment blocks in one big yard. He parked his huge truck, I wonder if he is making up for anything with that huge truck? We got out and made our way to his place.

It was a one bedroom apartment, very spacious! He had his bicycle in there and a few pieces of furniture. He told me he had lost everything to drugs and was starting afresh. We sat at his dining room table and talked. He made himself something to eat. I guess I forgot I was hungry. I just had a bite off his, just to taste his pineapple favoured sausage. It tasted pretty good. He asked to kiss me. I always thought that’s a turn off. Someone wants to kiss you, they should just lean in and see if you’re going the same too, and go for it but now if you’re got blue eyes and nice hair! The kiss was ok. Ok, it was great! I hadn’t been kissed since Elvis and he was sloppy, you never knew if he had brushed his teeth, so I always made sure I kept my mouth closed, no tongue, yuck! This guy was smelling fresh, he had nice teeth too. I’m a sucker for nice teeth.

He told me more and more of his stories, asked me about Africa. While on the way to the mountain, he showed me the prison and told me last he checked his brother was there, he didn’t know if he was still alive. Apparently his brother molested him when they were young. Awkward. Please don’t tell me this on our first date! He told me a story of him trying to kill himself after his divorce from a drug overdose in a random hotel room on his way from Washington state back to Utah. That was awkward. Filter please! You don’t have to tell me all these stories today, especially the traumatic ones! I just went along though, what do you do? You’re not gonna make someone feel like sh*t when they are trying to open up to you albeit on your first date.

We stayed up until it was too late, he offered me his pyjamas. I was like or you can take me home. He told me he was enjoying my company. I enjoyed his, so we suited up in similar pyjamas and went to bed. We talked some more and made out some more, nothing further than that though. He did tell me that he could see himself falling in love with me. Nothing was gonna lead to another though, not that night! He had work the following day. He dropped me off, I was still in his pyjamas, and heels, his shoes were too big for me. When we got to my place, he parked in the driveway, told me to stand on the second step (to be on the same level as him, I guess?), kissed me, told me he wanted the world  to know that I was with him and headed for work.

The Roommate

Unlike at Cindy’s my new place bedroom curtains were dark! There were blinds and chocolate brown curtains over the blinds, it was awesome for someone who worked nights! I could sleep in the day time just like it were night time! I got up around 7pm, my new Roommate, who we’ll call Laura, made dinner. She made pork chops, mashed potatoes and veggies. It was delicious. Especially considering I hadn’t had a cooked meal in weeks. She packed me lunch. Very nice gesture but I  wasn’t quite comfortable cos  from experience that all gets tired, fast! She told me she gets food stamps and doesn’t mind sharing food. She always cooks more than she needs anyway. Mind you the closet and fridge were empty when I got there, I don’t know what it is that she cooks too much of. She had less than $20 left in her food stamps card and it was mid month, she wasn’t sure if she was still going to get money for food from the government. Just Saying! This is all stuff I put together from her stories, she talks non stop, when you do that, you’re bound to bust yourself. Okay, Millionaire. I hate to be negative Natalie, but all my experience will have been in vain if I don’t learn from them.

MB was kind enough to take me to work my first night at the new place. It was her day off, but she didn’t mind. She even took me home the following morning. I insisted on taking her to breakfast the following morning. So we went via Mc Donald’s of Some fast food restaurant on our way back to mine. My roommate was home when I got home. She was fixing up the place and cleaning up haha, just my frigging luck. I had to ask her if she were a neat freak. She told me she isn’t, just a bit OCD. I don’t know if it’s an American thing or not but a lot of people I have met here claim to be OCD. Anyway, the condor was clean though, not in a weird way, like Cindy’s. It was lived in. It didn’t look like a house for sale smdh. I was so glad I didn’t have to clean that three storey house every again! By the way when she and her husband stopped talking, she stopped cleaning! I don’t know if husband was making her clean of what! She started cleaning again when they made up. The condor was a two bedroom, Laura had the main bedroom, both rooms had walk in closets, the entire place was carpeted besides the obvious, bathroom and kitchen, one bathroom with toilet and bath in the same space, a door and a nice space with sink, and drawers, don’t know what it’s called, the entire place smelt amazingly! The moment you walk into the main door, the smells just, aaah, love it! We had a living room with a flat screen tv mounted on the wall, cable was disconnected, she was “going to pay” for it the following week when I moved in, no internet, she was about to do that to, or not, but that was the story, dining room set between kitchen and living room and a cute balcony. Laura really did the place up, it was so cute. She was obsessed with Live Love Laugh, she had those words all over the place. Not in a distasteful manner though. Even the candles she was burning in the living room had those words, the place mats, everything. Oh and there was office space near the living room with a printer, a lamp and a trash can. Whenever we wanted to work there, which wasn’t necessary because we had desks in our bedrooms, we could just put our laptops there and go to town. There was a coin Laundry downstairs for the six units.

I went straight to bed the following morning after work then got up around 3pm, Laura was home, she was unemployed hashtag former millionaire and spent a lot of time in her closet. It was a walk in but not that big. Plus she had the entire place to herself, all I did for the first week or so was work and sleep, no need to be trapped in the closet unless you insists on being weird #MissMillionaire! We hung out in the living room when I got up, she told me more of her stories, how she is a nice person and people always took advantage of her. She had been married before, has two grown up kids both homeless and heroin addict. She had recently kicked her son out of her place because she was under the impression he was clean but he started doing drugs again under her roof. She didn’t want to be involved with any of that. Her daughter was staying in motels and at friends’ houses with her boyfriend and their four year old who, apparently is Laura’s reason for living. Laura’s fiancé is in prison, he had been for almost two years and had another two-ish to go when I moved in. I found out over the course of my stay that he is a White Supremacist. Go figure, black person living in a supremacist’s place, recipe for disaster! She was not on speaking terms with her mother nor one of her sisters. She was very close to her other sister though. The sister lives with a boyfriend in a huge house the sister owns. The sister is on house arrest for drug possession. Her boyfriend supposedly snuck the drugs in the sister’s handbag when the cops stopped them one night, that’s how she ended up arrest.

Laura, after losing all her money from her business partner, he ‘framed’ her for forgery and all kinds of white collar crimes, she ended up in jail and lost everything. She lost her amazing home and cars and all her assistants. Now she’s on food stamps and lives with a roommate from Africa! Apparently her case was big time, it made news. It didn’t indeed, I googled the story and found her mugshot and a few others that had nothing to do with the case. This was all a while after I had moved in. I didn’t mention the mugshots, they did freak me out though. I don’t know anybody who has mugshots, especially that many. Put it this way, I didn’t know women with mugshots until America cos I also found one that belonged to one of the ladies I lived with. I won’t tell you who, but just saying!

Laura, she was very close to her niece who works in a nursery with her ‘abusive’ girlfriend. She can’t break up with her because they work together blah blah blah. Laura also knows a lot of people who are addicted to ‘prescription’ pills. She has friends with Health insurance who could get those drugs for her, she would in turn sell those drugs to her connections and get a cut. This is all stuff, I was picking up from putting two and two together from her stories! She was always on the phone in that closet of hers, talking to all kinds of people. They would come meet her in the parking lot, where she would spend less than two minutes and be done. She would sometimes call these people and be like, where’s my money? You know drug dealer type scenarios? I felt like I was dreaming. Really? This is the person I’m gonna room with after everything I’ve been through!

Her boyfriend called everyday around the same time from prison. He would do a collect call type thing (reverse call) but apparently before something happens, there’s a three minute gap between when those people start billing you and not or whatever, so in that three minutes, she would go, I love you babe! Just for him to know she was ok. Also, apparently she is jealous, she had to say those very lines in case she were with another man. Really, you’re gonna control me from Behind bars? He must be really powerful!

 

My Husband Wants You Out Of The House!

I was on cloud nine on the way back home. Free at last! How am I going to break the news to them that I am finally getting out of their hair? How would you have told them? Please comment on the blog or my Twitter/Facebook/Whatsapp, I would like to hear your thoughts. I got up that night, got ready and walked to the bus stop. I was enjoying work. My colleagues were nice, we had fun times, goofing around through the night. It was the best thing to happen to me at that point in my life. One of them, MaBrrr and I had gotten close from my second night at wok. That’s the night she trained me. She got my silly jokes. She is LDS but didn’t shove it down my throat (that’s what she said haha). I had talked to her a bit about my situation at home. Not full details, cos you know how people are, she could use that against me one day. Anyway, I told her that I found a place to stay, furnished room, I could move in whenever I wanted. Needless to say, I was going to move in the very following day. I didn’t care if I didn’t get any sleep. I was going to move out of that house if that was the last thing I was going to do. Soonest!

MaBrrr (we’ll call her MB) was like, I’ll move you! I begged her to let me pay her for gas, or her time or both, anything! She agreed, then we had a deal. No freebies! Fck that, no such thing as free lunch anyways. You pay for it way more than you would have if you had just paid them in hard cash. Four o’clock the morning, I got a text from Cindy; MY HUSBAND WANTS UP OUT OF THE HOUSE BY FRIDAY! It was Tuesday Morning. I had three days to move out. She was too little too late because I was moving out that very morning! The text said, husband wants UP out, I didn’t know if she meant to say u or us. Knowing that man, maybe she was getting kicked out too. I didn’t want to be presumptuous, so, I texted back, wants UP out? She responded, WHATEVER! First of all, We all know Husband by now! He is not the kind of guy who will miss out on an opportunity to kick someone out and to prove his superiority. She was using him as a scapegoat, clearly that came from her. Did her husband also tell her not to talk to me for two weeks flat, even when he wasn’t home three days in a row? B!tch please!

She sent another text around 6, after about two hours saying, He wants YOU out of the house by Friday. I had already figured it out by then. I pretty much figured it out the first time around but had to give her the benefit of the doubt. I responded, ‘oh ok’.  My prayer that morning was that nobody would be home when I moved out. That Prayer was answered. There was nobody home that morning! Good thing I packed when I did. That’s why you should follow your gut feeling! MB parked in the driveway while I ran upstairs to move my bags. I took everything. I am so experienced in moving now that I never forget a thing! I would have loved to wash the linen but ain’t nobody got time for that! I folded it up nicely and put it aside. The room was pretty much clean, even the linen had been washed two days prior. She never wanted me to wash it, always told me it’s still clean, she washes her after two to three months. So I always washed it when I was home alone. I left a note in the kitchen with all their names, and thanked them for hosting me and that God will reward them accordingly ;)

We headed for Murray, same suburb my work was. MB hung around while I unpacked. I had everything I needed, the room was fully furnished, futon, bedding, everything, hangers in the walk in closet. I couldn’t have asked for anything better! We went out for breakfast, I also bought a few groceries before MB left. Bed, then work that night. It had been a good day!

Back Together Again!

Husband had once told me that he wasn’t impressed with how Cindy was not taking care of the car. She never serviced it! Apparently! He was hoping that one day, while he was out of town, it would give in, just to teach her a lesson. When the car was broken into, I tried really hard not to suspect him. Cindy suspected the ex girlfriend. Soon, it was time for me to head to work. I didn’t want to be late, so I left two hours early. It was going to take me forever to get there anyway. Might as well be forever and thirty minutes. I hated to leave Cindy in that condition but I had to. I took the twenty minutes walk to the buy stop and waited thirty minutes for the bus. It got there on the dot at 8:30pm. Nice driver, Her name’s Nicky. I always said, Hey Nicky, hey Nicky when I saw her (Nicky Minaj Voice :)). 

While getting ready for work, I overhead Cindy talking to her husband over the phone. They were talking! Yippee?

My first night was great! I shadowed a guy who was so so cool. He takes his work so seriously, like me J We were on our feet all night long. The following day, my feet! I took the bus right in front of work, it took me downtown Salt Lake City to the main station, where we changed buses, same driver, then headed where I lived. I would then get off twenty minutes away from the house and walk the remained of it! My feet! It was worth it though, I had a job yall! Cindy had already left for work when I got home.

That night, after work, she told me about this brilliant plan she and her no longer estranged husband had cooked up; long story short, I was supposed to bear witness to the fact that they lost things that they didn’t really lose from the break in. Use your imagination J . I neither agreed nor disagreed. The last thing I need here is to end up in jail or deported because I did something I had no business doing to begin with. I went back to the bedroom for a quick nap before work and just sat there thinking what the heck have I gotten myself into. I was working on a way out of that one without hurting anyone’s feeling or getting kicked out again. Fortunately, she didn’t bring it up again that night. I was still panicking when I got home from work the next morning. She took a few days off work to work on the car and everything. Suddenly, they were so tight with her husband, it woul have been cute if it weren’t weird. I noticed that the more Cindy and her husband were talking, the less she talked to me. It’s like for her, it’s either or, she can’t talk to both of us at the same time.

I was working part time, so majority of time, I was not working. I was seriously looking for a place to stay though, especially now that nobody was talking to me in the house. I knew my time was really up. Cindy had told me that she was arranging for her son in South Africa to come over and go to school here. She also invited her daughter to come visit. Clearly, it was time for me to get out. Where were all these people going to sleep? I guess that was her way of telling me that she was going to need the bedroom. I wasn’t going to get paid for another few weeks, I missed the first cycle, had to wait another two weeks to get my check (cheque). It wasn’t gonna be much cos I had only worked a few days, maybe 5 in total. Since they started talking, they stopped dishing up for me whenever they cooked. I stopped cooking. I didn’t want to come across a situation where I had to dish up for people who were no longer my friends. I would just go out to eat or fix something quickly when they were out. They would buy KFC, the entire house would smell like chicken, and eat the whole thing up. Good thing, I always had some money aside, I could always afford buying my own food. I could KFC if I wanted to, but that was not the point. When you live with someone, even if it’s just a roommate, my mom taught me that when you buy something that smells good or something like a cake that everybody likes, share. Even if the other person is not greedy, it’s human nature to want some, share! Clearly these people I have been living with come from a different background.

I would say hi to Husband and he would pretend like I don’t exist. Cindy would only say hi and bye, that was it. They used to say when they were going out, in fact, they used to take me with them. It had gotten to a point where one minute, I would hear their voices, the next, they would be gone. Wow! Who knew that a car break in would change so much between friends! You would swear they blamed me for breaking into their car! Which would be interesting considering  I don’t even know how to get to Cindy’s work.

I started working first week of May 2013. My first day, was the day, they broke into Cindy’s car. The following day was the last time she and I had a conversation. I had moved in on March 27^th. So within a month, I had been kicked out and ignored and everything. Just four weeks! On the flip side, within the same amount of time, I had got me a job! Hallelujah! On my off days, I was viewing places, seriously looking for a place to stay, with Cindy not talking to me, I was fcked! I remember one afternoon, I went to the kitchen, bumped into Cindy, I had just done my hair, the thick long braids (Da Brats), She looked at me and burst out laughing. Here’s the thing about me, if I like it, I pretty much don’t care what you think of it! We won’t get into details about her hair or lack thereof. I ignored that and just said hi. I soon left for the library. Once it gets unbearable to be home, I head for the library. It’s more peaceful there! Also, I had noticed that I didn’t have internet on  my PC, the last few days. I still saw them using the PC downstairs but for some reason I wasn’t connected. I think they changed the password. Was I gonna ask them for the new password, knowing that they changed it to prevent me from using their Wi –Fi? From the llibrary, I headed downtown to view an apartment. They gave me application forms, to fill out and return them to their office. It rained on my way back home. There were no more buses, it was the weekend. I was rained on, my new hair and all. And I had my laptop with me. I walked home for about 30-40 minutes from the train station. Where I once got stranded.

When I got home, Cindy was sitting at the computer, I went over there to try and break the ice. I told her about my day, that I had just viewed an apartment. I also wanted them to know, as if it wasn’t obvious, that I was looking for a place, I didn’t intend on living in that uncomfortable, spotless house forever. All I got in return was mh, ok, ok, oh, oh ok, ok. That’s it! You know when someone really doesn’t give a fck? That’s what was up.

I didn’t follow up with the application, I didn’t have a nice feeling about that place. I went back online on my phone. Might as well, it’s not like I don’t have a phone with internet which I pay for! I put it to good use when they blocked me from their internet. She was doing exactly what that Chinese woman did to me. How was she different?

I went and viewed another apartment, it was supposedly closer to work. Work was South of Salt Lake City, Cindy’s was North. I was looking forward to be closer to work and not have to travel an hour and a half to get to work. This was a rooming situation, I was open to rooming with one other person, not more. I don’t like me crowded place. I am used to living all by myself, so. It was a lady who lives by herself in a condo she is renting. I saw pictures of the place, looked cute in pictures. I saw a man’s reflection in the bathroom mirror. I expected it to be a guy until I got there and out came a female. Anyway, we hung out for a while. I left after about two hours. I got a call from my supervisor just before I walked into her condo to give me my schedule. I WAS GOING TO BE FULL TIME! Yay! I liked the condo. The woman had a ton of stories to tell, she talked fast, I think she was trying to make sure she told me as many as possible. She’s American, has had her own businesses and was screwed over by her business partner. Apparently she used to be a millionaire. Anyway. I told her I would take the place. I told her to come with me to the bank to withdraw the deposit to I could get the key and move in the following morning after work. She was like, no, you’re fine. I want you to move in here, so I will wait until you are ready, you can pay me then or whenever you have the money. What? That never happens!

I rushed home to sleep before work that night. My bags had been packed, I woke up one morning and just packed, so yeah. Don’t ask! When my gut tells me to do something, I do it! You should too, it’s the best feeling :). My room didn’t have a lock, so who knows if they went in there and saw that I was packed? I guess we will never know cos they were not talking to me.

Don't Call Me, I'll Call You!

I was so nervous at the interview! I needed the job like I needed air to breathe or a bullet in my head, whichever would come first haha. We took lil one along, it was Cindy’s day off so. It’s a beautiful facility, I remember fantasising about working there. The guy asked Cindy if she is the one who knows That supervisor guy, who apparently is the guy’s friend. She agreed. He turned to me and asked if I know someone who works there to? I told him that I know someone who knows someone J.  Cindy went in first, I stayed behind with Lil one. That child was running amok, I couldn’t contain her! Hot Mess! Cindy was in there for what seemed like forever. The nerves of my upcoming interview and being stuck with an unruly child! Eventually they came out.  I went in, sooooo nervous! We walked up the stairs, found a random desk, he told me they were looking for two night shift aides (Nursing Aides), he asked if we were sisters. I didn’t know what he wanted to hear, whether he wanted us to be sisters or not, cos at that point, I was ready to tell him whatever he wanted to hear. He asked me what is the first thing you do when a patient falls. I went blank! I mumbled something along the lines of before you do anything, you call for assistance, or you call the nurse, heck I can’t remember what I said. Soon, we were done!

He told me he was in charge of the hiring process, he was going to forward my stuff to management and call to let me know if I got the job. I left there without a glimmer of hope. I didn’t think I got it at all considering how long Cindy was in there for and how many seconds I was in there in comparison. Cindy was in such high spirits on our way out. It was weird to me considering she wasn’t looking for a job.

A week or so later, Cindy got a call back from the facility. They offered her the job. It was a full time position, she told me it wasn’t for him because she was looking for a part time job. That was news to me. They never called me. I called them, Guy was like, we are still looking but I will call you right back. He never did. I kept calling him. I felt like I was too close to getting it for me to let it slip. After about two weeks, he finally called me back and offered me the position. I was ecstatic! I can find my own place and move the fck out! He wanted me to get finger prints and take them to the office. That was a whole another blog post on its own! I took the Fingerprints in, they made me pee in a cup, fun! Another interview, then they made me fill out two mini booklets and gave me the third book to take home, read and fill out (or in, depending which English you speak, British or American J). He told me to start that Friday 10pm. I went home with a weird feeling. I didn’t have that feeling of excitement like someone who just got a job. I went home and told them I got the job. Everyone was so excited. Friday came, I called Guy confirming my first shift that night, he was like, you can come tonight if you like, but you don’t have the job yet. I am still waiting to hear from management if they want you to take the position.

The fck!

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place! I kept applying. Cindy told me she could recommend me to her supervisor but she didn’t think I would like working there with her husband’s ex girlfriend. Hell, if you can work with her, when she was YOUR husband’s girlfriend, why can’t I?  She was like, also I don’t want her spreading rumors about you. Blah blah blah. I was like,that is so the least of my concerns. All of a sudden, one day, she came home ever so excited that she talked to the kitchen supervisor about me. She told them that I am looking for a job, should they need someone to wash the dishes. Uhm! Really? A dishwasher? That’s like the lowest paid people in her company, minimum wage! They make $4 more per hour in her level, which is where I have experience. It was deja vu! That’s what T was trying to do in Connecticut when she didn’t want me to work for her agent who paid $1 200 per month but for another agent who paid $500 per month. SMDH

I never heard from her company either, so whatevz! I kept calling that Guy until he literally asked me to stop calling him. The guy practically hired me and then acted like he didn’t. You don’t do that to a person! A week or so after that, he called and gave me my schedule. I was going to start off part time, I didn’t mind, I was glad to have a job. From then on, I focused my energy in finding a place to stay. I was going to start one Wednesday night. I was home alone that day. I had finished cleaning, you know how that goes, had filled out the entire book they gave me to fill out and took a nap, so I could be nice and refreshed that night. Cindy came home around 6pm. She called me downstairs, told me she wanted to show me something, seeing as I had read our horoscope that morning telling her that good time were ahead of us. Kill the messenger, why don’t you?

She took me to the garage. He car had been broken into! The entire window was gone, broken glass everywhere! Apparently they stole her purse which had $300 in it and all her cards, ID, driver’s license, you name it!

Homeless Shelter

id I  

Did I just get kicked out? What am I gonna do? Cindy was still in the bathroom bathing the kid. I went to my bedroom, stared at my clothes in the closet. I was in disbelief. I didn’t see that coming! What was I gonna do? I didn’t know a soul in Utah. Crap! I literally felt week and helpless. That was a low blow. Husband knew better than to do that to me or anyone for that matter. There are things that you just don’t do to a person and that’s one of them. But then again, that’s how they fought, they always went to the no go zones, him and Cindy. It’s what they do, what they know. Even though Cindy, the reason I was in Utah, was there, I felt alone. Like I and only I had to figure out what to do next. I just didn’t see her as that person who was going to be handy in any way. If anything, she would just forget.

She called me to the bathroom, soon as I went in to talk to her, husband came in. She tried to close the door, he pushed it, and forced his way in. I walked away. I have just been kicked out, I no longer need to bear witness to this crap. Whatever, deal with yall’s crap by yourself! They argued and argued about their problems, he came to my bedroom to try and force me to listen to him. Now that I just kicked you out, you are vulnerable and desperate and will do as I say, type of sht. I was like, you know what? I really don’t wanna hear it. I mean what was the worst that could happen? Was he gonna kick me out?

Baba, Cindy is not your friend! This should prove to you how much she cares about you! If my husband kicked out my friend, I would go to him and beg him to stop it! I would do whatever it takes to make sure my friend was safe! Cindy doesn’t care! She is still arguing with me. She still won’t listen to me! How can you trust someone like that? Don’t trust her! She is not a friend! You two are supposed to be sisters. She is not your sister. Cindy! Cindy! How can you do this to your friend? You told Baba to move all the way to Utah, now you’re kicking her out! You are kicking Baba out! I was like, this dude done lowst it! Is he kidding me, twisting the whole thing before my very eyes? He is the one who kicked me out, I was there when he told ME to get out of his house, what’s this about Cindy, you’re kicking out BABA? What kinda BS is that? I didn’t even respond to that, I was just staring in my closet in disbelief. I didn’t know whether to start packing, then what? Or should I find a place first, what? What should I do?

Cindy came over, she told me to call the church. She told me they would be more than happy to help me out. They do that kind of stuff for people all the time. I went for a short walk down the street to stay clear of the background noise aka Husband’s yelling.  I called the missionaries and told them what had happened. They were stunned and told me they could find me a place to stay but I had to ask the bishop first. I had met the bishop, he had been to the house once with the missionaries, sweet little man! I reluctantly called him. I mean I would have rather they called him themselves, but ok. He asked me if I had a job. I told him I didn’t. He told me I could VOLUNTEER at the DI (the LDS Thrift store) in exchange for free meals. He would store my stuff in his garage! Uh, reverend! I am calling about a place to stay, not free meals in exchange of eight hours of labour! This is not an opportunity for you to use me as a slave! This is America, I can get a meal for a dollar all over the show. Stay with me here! WTF? He kept repeating himself, I couldn’t even do it anymore, I thanked him for his time and was ready to hang up. He asked me to please keep him updated! What is this? A blog? When someone is going through something, you don’t expect them to think of you, and keep you informed while you’re sitting in the comfort of your own home, getting foot massages in your Bishop’s throne. You call them! Or get your assistant’s assistant to check up on them. Again, what kind of people are these?

I called the Missionaries back, told them what he said, they were like, did you tell them you are looking for a place to stay? Er, Are you out of your freaking mind? Why do you think I called him? Why did I call you? They were like, wooooow, ok Brook, we’ll call you right back. Never called back! I went back to the house, tail between my legs. Cindy had just taken a shower, she was ready to get outta that house. I was hoping she hadn’t forgotten about me. That she wasn’t just gonna leave me there with that man. Lil one went to her father and asked, Pappa, did you kick out Baba? He said, No, I didn’t, your mom did! Haha, you have to laugh at the things that man said and did! Desperate!  Cindy was like, HE did, he is the one who kicked her out, Baba is in her room now, packing. I wasn’t packing. I never packed. She knew I wasn’t. I think she was trying to tell me, don’t just sit there mutha fcker, jump, jump! – Busta Rhymes haha.

She came over and told me, let’s go view apartments. Please don’t take any of this personally, he really is trying to hurt my feelings not yours. Ok Cindy, I won’t take someone kicking me out personally. Not now, not ever! She told me he had finally crossed the line, I was there because of her and she was going to make sure I was fine. She was going to move out and leave him for good. That was the final straw. I didn’t believe him. If I did, I would have asked him not to leave her husband on my account, but I somehow knew it was bs, so I let it slide.  We drove off to the LDS offices. She took me to their employment offices, I didn’t see how that had to do with the price of rice in China but I rolled with it. As long as I wasn’t in that house, I was happy. She waited outside while I talked to the people in the office, they explained how their website worked, I was like thanks so much, I will do this at home. I wasn’t about to spend hours online looking for a job when I had nowhere to sleep that night. Priorities! From there, Cindy sped off onto the freeway. I didn’t know where we were going, I didn’t ask. We stopped at the mall. She took us to Ross. A nice discount store for name brands clothing and shoes. I had been there the day I got stranded halfway home and bought a pair of Nike Sneakers. I had them on that very moment, actually. Might as well be ready to run comfortably! She was like, I wanted to bring you here, they have good stuff here, cheap, cheap! Really? Of all the places you could’ve taken me to today! You’re gonna take me shopping? I bet you she forgot that her husband kicked me out an hour prior.

I told her I had already been there, that’s where I bought the shoes I had on. We didn’t stay after that. We walked around the mall, me super confused as what was going on and what was gonna happen next. Small wonder I didn’t believe her when she told me she was moving out. We went through the food court. Mhhh, the smells, I wanted to buy something to eat, lil one was hungry too. Normally, Cindy serves breakfast around 1pm. I, personally, start off early and finish early, breakfast around 7, lunch around 11 to midday and dinner between four and five pm. So you can imagine how hungry  I was by the time she made breakfast. Good thing I bought groceries too. I never waited for that. I would have cereal in the morning, and consider her breakfast lunch. Anyway, she wouldn’t let me buy something to eat. She said, let’s rather go home, she was going to make breakfast. He breakfast is always scrambled eggs, bacon and bread, tasty, not what I normally eat, which is good, but I was starving.  She wouldn’t even let me buy candy with my own money. We zipped through the mall as fast as we went in. I was like, what the heck did we even come here for? Of course I didn’t ask her that, just went with the flow.

We headed back home. Husband was busy calling the entire time. She never picked up his calls. When we got home, he followed me to the bedroom again, good grief! He told me to disregard what he said earlier, of course I was welcome to stay in his house as long as I wanted. They loved me. I asked him if it’s normal for him to say stuff like that and not mean it. Just so we’re clear, you know? He told me Cindy drives him so nuts that yes, he does have those tendencies. He reiterated though that Cindy was not a true friend blah.

Soon as he walked out, Cindy came in, she suggested I still move out because who knew what he was going to do next. Move where? She told me about homeless shelters in Salt Lake City. I was like, can I stay here until I find a decent place to stay? I really am not feeling a homeless shelter right now. She was like, oh, no, not these! These are amazing! I had a friend who lived in them for two full years, she loved it there! Who invites a friend to stay in their home until they are sorted out and then kicks her out to a homeless shelter? I was beginning to think that Husband was right about her.

I wasn’t gonna move into a shelter, sorry, no way, no how! The following day, I had a meeting with the missionaries, they came over to get me, I thought to myself, do these people have no shame? They never had the courtesy to call me back after that frantic call the previous day, all they care about is shoving their scripture down my throat. Everybody was home when they came for me. The argument was so on, it was so bad, I thought they were going to get at it physically soon as I left. I was glad the missionaries came for me. It was a well needed break. I called before going back home that afternoon, to see if the coast was clear. Cindy didn’t pick up. Things got better when she and husband stopped “talking” again. It was quiet. He wasn’t talking to me either, hadn’t been since he did not kick me out.

Through all the highs and lows of Staying at Cindy’s, we got a call. The facility where her supervisor worked part time, called to see us for an interview. Mine was at 1pm, Cindy’s at 2. We left the house at 1, go figure! She forgot! She thought I said it was at 1:30. She felt so bad when I reminded her that mine was at 1, she backed up so fast, she almost dented the car. Which would have been something considering it’s under her husband’s name and he made sure to tell everybody that. Even though she was paying for it. None of my business.

Get Out Of My House!

We would all looking forward to Husband going to work, at least I know I would. That way they would keep the arguments on text and via the phone as opposed to almost beating each other up, which was much much scarier. One afternoon, while home, he was asleep. Cindy thought it would be the perfect time for her to go through his texts on the Verizon website. She was still trying to find proof that he indeed paid the ex girlfriend for the ear rings. I remember going downstairs to find her engrossed on the computer screen. She told me what she was up to. I had my laptop with me, I was was job hunting and looking for a car online, so I thought I’d do that while chilling with her downstairs. Cindy couldn’t find the texts on the site, so she sought help from the Instant Chat Help service on the website. They were messaging back and forth when suddenly, the person on the other site logged off. I hardly sat down, Cindy was like, OMG, get up! WHAT? I think he’s up! He’s talking on the phone, get up! Leave the room, go go go! Errrrrrr... I didn’t waste anytime, confused as I was, I got up and walked back upstairs. He was on the phone upstairs explaining to someone how nobody else should have access to the account. He is loud, when he does something, anything, he likes for everybody around to know about it. Apparently, he was told at church not to show off when he prays. Cindy says they stopped asking him to pray. That bad! 

I was in the bedroom trying to figure out what had just happened. Turns out, Verizon called Husband. The account is under his name. Everything is under his name. I wish women would learn to have a thing or two under their names too in a marriage, relationship or just in general. If you’re paying for some of the bills, why are they not on your name?  Should push come to shove, you will never be able to prove you were the one paying for those bills if they were not under your name. Being in a committed relationship is cute and all but don’t let that mess with your logic! When I overheard Husband talking to someone about the account, it was with Verizon, he didn’t want Cindy having access to the account they are both paying for. None of my business. You could see the fear in Cindy’s eyes when she heard his voice. He went back to sleep. More tension was brewing in the house. You know they fought about that later on via text. He slept in lil one’s room, she, in the main bedroom. It had been that way since I moved in. Again, none of my business. I did hear husband say something along the lines of, Cindy didn’t do any of those things until I moved in. I must be one who influenced her. She doesn’t know the first thing about computers, I must have taught her how to manoeuvre it. I hate to burst your bubble boo, but not guilty! Not this time around! He once told me that when they first got married, he would leave for work and leave Cindy at home with lil one. Cindy wouldn’t move an inch, he would return after three days to find her right at home, where he left her. Later on, Cindy told me, she would leave the car in the garage, cos she know he marked where he left it, walk out the front door, take the bus and go to the casino, almost an hour away to have a good time! Or to the mall, or wherever and pretend she never left. So him assuming that I am an influence to his wife, please!

He left for work that night, he was usually gone for two to three nights. Cindy works 12 hour shifts, 6am-6pm a few days a week, alternate weekends off. The kid was with grandma most of the time, she was taking care of her. She turned 4 while I was there. The kid, not grandma haha J. That was another issue. Husband wanted lil one to start school. Cindy, wait for it..... kept forgetting to enquire about that! I just love how forgetful Cindy is. She forgets the very things regular people don’t forget. She needs to forget stuff like, whether or not her husband paid that woman for the ear rings, or pay that woman her money herself and then forget that she did, and move on. Just saying! Needless to say, the kid was still playing with grandma, born in America, talking with an African accent because she only hung around grandma who is African and us at home, all Africans. It was interesting to watch.

By the way, Word just crashed, I lost this document for a split second and was freaking out cos that would mean retyping everything, not a big fan of reruns! Thank goodness for Autorecovery!

Husband would come to me and be like, what do you think about Lil one not going to school at her age? She needs to learn to socialise with kids her age etc, he made valid points but my hands were tied. Cindy’s solution would be something along the lines of, or maybe you (me) can drop the kid off and pick her up from school. Uhm, what happens when I get a job? You need to discuss your stuff with your husband and come up with a solution together that doesn’t include a random person who is crashing in your spare bedroom looking for a job, dying to get the heck out of your unbelievably clean house! Come on now, even you can do better than that!

Husband got back home, he leaves for work at night, tenish, and comes home in the mornings. He got home, I heard them exchange words, then the argument became more and more heated. I was just like, you know what! Can’t deal! I was in my room, wishing I had an exit door straight from my room to the outside world. No such luck, Brook. Be grateful for a roof over your head. Which I was. Cindy was bathing the lil one when husband got home. She went back to the bathroom, husband was downstairs in the kitchen, they were still arguing! Words were flying from one room, through the staircase, to the next. Goodness me! On my way to get some drinking water (American think, they don’t just say water, they be like drinking water) in the kitchen, Cindy said something to me in Xhosa. I wish people would stop that, it’s uncomfortable! When there is someone around who doesn’t speak the language, let’s all communicate in a language we all understand! No matter, how ‘broken’ you think your English is, they will appreciate it. It’s common courtesy. I got to the kitchen, husband was like, what did my wife just say to you? I was like, you want me to tell YOU what she said to ME?  He was like, yes, what did she just say? I told him, that’s between she and I. Or you can go ask her what she said. He went, I WANT YOU OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!