The Tyrant Has Spoken

In lieu of the variant, and folks around here not seeming to take it serious enough to comply with the mask mandate — which states that EVERYONE, whether vaccinated or not, is to be wearing a mask both inside and outside, I’d already decided not to visit Brother’s van this morning, or ever again.

With word having spread, residents showed up in drove last Wednesday and, not only were not many in compliance with the mask mandate that day, there was no distancing involved, nor manners.

Folks were so anxious that they just sort of got in there, started grabbing, before Brother finished unloading the van.

In fact, there was so much reaching over, around, grabbing in a frenzy that brother said, "Ladies, ladies, there's plenty for everyone".

I don't know if many bothered to even thank Brother.

Thinking that, because of that behavior, Brother might not show up today, I didn’t even check outside to see if he was here; and, when I headed out for the Pain Cave, I didn’t see his van.

However, just as I was buckling myself into the seat belt, his sister the Talker knocked on the car window. I rolled it down and she said, “J___ (complex manager) shut it down”.

"I was expecting that", said I. "He shuts everything down. Won’t do anything for the seniors, won’t let them do anything for themselves (painted rocks) and won’t let anyone else do anything for them."

The way the Talker tells it, Brother drove into the complex, whereupon Complex Manager rushed out and told him he'd have to leave, that he couldn’t "Do that" here.

"THAT" ????

It wasn’t like Brother was selling drugs.

The Talker went on to say what I'd said about him is what others have said, and she'd told him so — "I don’t know you. I’ve only lived here for a year, but I’ve heard all about how you shut everything down."

"I’ve only done that since Covid", was Manager's response.

"No …. I’m told you’ve always done this", replied the Talker.

Actually, because I myself had already decided too many people and no masks, not knowing who is vaccinated, who is not, as my reason for no longer visiting the van, I can see Manager's use of Covid as a valid excuse; but Manager would have done so anyway, without an excuse because that’s how he rolls.

So, anyway, the tyrant has spoken. No more free fruit and veggies for the seniors.

I did tell the Talker it wasn't just residents who'd benefitted from her Brother, it was management as well, that I had a photo of Assistant Manager’s husband helping himself to what Brother had to offer, if she needed it.

Walking away from Brother’s van that last Wednesday, one of the OG’s from another quad (let’s call her the Red Haired OG) began walking alongside of me to say a neighbor in her quad, whose name I didn’t recognize "Is back”.

"Back from where?" asked I.

"The hospital. She had Covid."

"I don’t recognize the name", said I.

"The Black lady with short hair that always fast walking around the complex".

"OH! … I know who that is".

It was a woman I’ve not seen since the shutdown but, prior to that, I’d see her fast walking around the complex every single day.

She’s a youngish over 55, healthy looking and, when she’d stopped to talk to me on one of her walks, I’d told her of my 5K adventures and asked if she wanted to be notified of such events.

She’d said she no longer drove, had sold her car because the upkeep was more than she could handle, and I left it at that, because I didn’t want to slow my roll by getting stuck with her, be responsible for driving her to/from events because, in talking with her, I could tell she’s was not someone I could communicate with without dumbing myself down — if you know what I mean.

She’s not stupid, but she’s not up there either, and I didn't want to be burdened with the weight.

At any rate, the Red Haired OG said she didn’t know if the neighbor, of whom she spoke, had been vaccinated and or if the neighbor knew where or how she’d contracted Covid. Just that she had been hospitalized, after which she’d stayed with a relative, and now she’s back.

Oddly enough, I caught a glimpse of that neighbor walking down the walkway this morning. She wasn’t exercising, just coming back from somewhere and was walking just as fast as ever. Her having recovered might have something to do with the fact she’d been active.

Red Haired OG also said her own niece, a health care professional, who was NOT vaccinated, took a trip to Las Vegas, came back with Covid.

"Oh my goodness" said I. "If you’re not going to get vaccinated, one would think you’d at least be careful, take precautions, not hang around crowds".

"That’s what I’d told her", said she.

Among those gathered at Brother’s truck that day was The Seer, along with her Shadow of course.

The Seer was actually acknowledging others, talking to folks again. She’d even spoken to me — for the first time in years, asking "How are you?"

Not wanting to deal with her sometimey self, I replied, "Hanging in there" and kept on steppin.

I also learned why I’d not been able to cross an OG couple I’d been wondering about off my list as still present and accounted for.

They moved way back at the start of the lockdown.

This is the couple comprised of a 62-year-old man who got himself arrested for bashing his wife’s head into a wall, and blackening her eyes, and the 70-year-old wife who gave as good as she got, through 33+ years of marriage.

Up until the day the husband told me what he’d done, and the wife told me it had been ongoing, I had no idea. They seemed like such a nice couple.

I quite liked them both, had given them rides from the market, stopped when I’d see them at a bus stop, given them rides back to the complex AND once, Twin 2 saw them at Walmart waiting for a cab to help them transport a television, introduced herself as my daughter and had given them a ride back to the complex.

The wife was a pistol — a fancy dresser, full of energy, the life of every party we had here at the complex.

I’m told, they did not move as a couple — which was probably good because, with them already beating up on each other, had they been stuck inside with each other during quarantine, someone would have ended up dying. Instead, they separated (probably after another fight). The wife moved in with their daughter, while the father moved in with the son.

I don't see that arrangement lasting long, don't think they can stay away from each other and were probably back together long before I learned they'd moved and split up.

Everyone else from the old group, appears to be present and accounted for — The Lady Who Wants Braids (LWWB) and Casino Lady, who used to arrange monthly casino trips for the seniors.

Casino Lady and her sister have been planning a move to Desert Hot Springs since 2016, but both are still here, present and accounted for — probably because the reasonable rent here can’t be beat.

We did receive notice of a $29 increase, effective September 1, which some will protest, but still reasonable.

So that’s it for roll call. Except for Apache and that battling married couple, and Sue, of course — whose family took her away, it looks like the pre-pandemic group is pretty-much still around.