The Vortex

Certainly is quiet on my side of the quad.

Of the four units, we have the downstairs left corner apartment, which is occupied by a woman who still works -- she’s a security guard, and her 20- something son lives with her.

Inasmuch as she’s able-bodied, how her son is allowed to live with her, in a 55 and over complex, is a complete mystery to me, but no matter because he’s quiet and respectful. In fact, both are busy quiet people, rarely seen, but pleasant, friendly.

The bottom apartment on the right corner is underneath my unit. There we have the woman who came to us back in April. She surreptitiously moved into the unit in the middle of the night and managed to be in and out for a month before I actually saw her. When I did happen to see her, I made a point to stop, introduced myself, welcome her to the complex. In return, she made a point to say, “I don’t like people. I’ll speak but that’s it!”

So okay.

Bad energy there.

In addition to not liking people, I guess she doesn’t like sunlight and fresh air either, as she keeps her windows shut, her blinds closed, and though I can sometimes hear her late at night, I’ve not seen her since that one encounter.

Now I have Next Door Neighbor, not happy again because she was impeached from her position as President of the Residents Volunteer Association (RVA) -- or resigned, depending on whether you hear it from Neighbor herself or an association member. Except for this past Monday, Neighbor has been keeping to herself and is eerily quiet.

My spidey sense tells me she’s in Stage 4 (depression) in the process of coming to terms with things not working out as she’d expected.

She skipped Stage 1 (denial) and went straight to Stage 2 (anger). First with looking angry, walking angry and then, this past Monday, she turned Stage 3 (bargaining) into confrontation by cornering Apache and blasting him with, “I understand you were part of the coup”.

Meaning coup d'éta … part of the takeover that dethroned her.

He was.

Apache, having just returned from having a tooth pulled, mumbled yes, but said he’d just had a tooth pulled, couldn’t really talk, but would be willing to discuss it with her later if she liked.

I’m told Next Door Neighbor also had a few unkind words to say about The Seer, who at one time was secretary of the RVA, but long ago quit saying, “I can’t work with the woman.” Neighbor seems to think The Seer instigated the coup.

She didn’t.

Thank the Lord I missed the last Residents/Management meeting – the meeting where association members vented their displeasure with Neighbor’s performance as President, or she’d be including me as having been a part of the coup that deposed her as well.

At any rate, with neighbors being busy and neighbors locked into their own private self-created hells, it’s a quiet and strange energy mix on my side of the quad going on right now.

It’s like living in a vortex, but only as an observer, with nothing actually touching me, because The Force is Strong with me, not to mention I've now got that new feng shui mat in place.