Bubble Burst

I’ve been thinking, last few days, how fortunate we are here in this complex/here in this area because, while the world around us is in chaos, we seem to be in a protective little bubble. Every day looks like a regular day in the neighborhood — that is except for that one night when the local strip malls were looted by opportunistic rioters. Fortunate in that we’ve had no protests in the area, no reports of Covid-19 at the market or in the complex.

I have noticed more street type people travelling through the area. Coming from where, I do not know. Going where, I also do not know. And we're having more and more sightings of intruders IN the complex late at night.

So there is THAT.

I can understand why the homeless would choose this property, rather than the adult building next door to crash. Here is safer than sleeping on the streets FOR THEM, safer even than the adult building next door where there are tough guys who might hurt them. The pool area next door is inside a building, while ours is out in the open — easily assessable, I’ve learned, by climbing over areas with fencing isn’t high enough to keep them out, and there’s the shower and jacuzzi. So, I can understand why us and don’t mind, so long as they don’t try to break into the mailboxes or damage cars BUT it’s getting to be not all that safe FOR US because some residents have reported someone knocking on their doors late at night — to gain entry we’re assuming.

I hope everyone knows not to answer the door at night. Heck, I don’t even open my door during daylight hours — without first looking through the kitchen blinds to see who’s knocking. And, ever since as a young woman I woke up to find my landlord standing in my bedroom door, staring at me, I always put security thingies on doors and windows at night.

Apache tells me The Seer phoned him the other night to say a guy was sleeping on her doormat.

“SHE DID WHAT? Why’d she call you? Why didn’t she call her boyfriend (Shadow)?”

“I don’t know. I was wondering myself why she called me. I don’t know what’s going on with that (‘that’ being The Seer and Shadow’s relationship), but I went over and escorted the guy off the premises.”

“YOU DID WHAT? After the way she’s treated you last few years? She doesn’t even talk to me anymore and I’ve not a clue as to why”.

“She treats everyone like that now”, said he.

“All the more reason to have told her to go F herself when she called”, said I.

Apache is just too nice.

At any rate, apart from this property having become a hotel for the homeless, I felt we were fortunate, in a nice cozy bubble — away from it all until management posted a notice to our doors this morning that a resident has tested positive for Covid-19.

The bubble has burst.

We’re in it now.

Of course management can’t violate the individual’s confidentiality — tell us who, where they’ve been in the complex, who here might have come in contact with the resident, but I knew the knower of all things in this complex would know … I called Apache.

It’s a resident on the other side of the complex. A resident Apache says I probably haven’t come in contact with because she doesn’t get out much. Which begs the question — if she didn’t get out much, how’d she catch it? Did someone bring it in to her?

I don’t want to get too confident that our paths have never crossed, but I do know I've been distancing myself from EVERYONE and taking the proper precautions when heading to the dumpster and mail box.

The only time I’m around people is in the market, and I’m careful not to get too close to anyone there as well.

I did run into Younger Sister in the market a while back. Greeting each other at a distance, I learned she’d spent the 4th of July in Los Angeles with family.

She doesn’t drive, so I knew she’d taken a bus or buses to get there, was around others when she got there so, when she got in the checkout lane behind me and, being a little too anxious to put her items on the conveyer belt, stepped in too close, I had no problem saying “You’re getting too close”.

If looks could kill, I’d be dead now because she gave me such a look. LOL. As if I cared and wouldn’t have hesitated to repeat myself more forcibly if she hadn’t moved back to the x-mark.

What is it with people not following the rules and then copping an attitude when confronted?