Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

The return to normal everyday life started off with a notice posted to the door, by the office, alerting us to the fact a resident has tested positive for Covid and is self-isolating.

Insofar as I know, Bingo Fridays is still on, as is the July 26 Summer Social Luncheon with "property management and Activity Director" but, for sure, we’ll be required to mask up again.

It's two steps forward, one step back with this thing, but Fauci said as long as we keep up with vaccinations, we should be okay.

We'll see.

"Property Management" still consists of the two maintenance guys and Assistant Manager, as there have been no takers for the position of a 10th Community Manager for us.

My buddy Apache got himself in trouble while I was gone.

The Assistant Manager called this afternoon, said she was calling all of Apache's friends to let them know he was no longer allowed to visit any of us on the property, visits would have to be off-site as he’s been told the police will be called on him should he henceforth be seen on the property.

Asking what he’d done to get himself completely banned, she said there were a group of residents out on the front lawn, Apache had approached and came close to getting into a physical fight with one of them.

I didn’t have to ask who because I knew the only people Apache did not get along with was management and Bicycle Boy. He and Bicycle Boy have this alpha male thing going, came close to blows on many occasions and, at one time, had restraining orders on each other.

So, anyway, if Apache wants to communicate with me, he'll have to catch me at the Pain Cave, but I’ve no doubt Apache will push the envelope, creep his way onto the property when management is not around.

THEN, Red Light calls a little while ago to tell me that shortly after 10 p.m. last night, Talker made a noise when a tray of CD’s fell from her hands onto the floor, whereupon Karen promptly called Security on her.

Security are the two guys hired to drive through here nightly, check that everything is okay, which doesn’t seem effective to me to just ride around the complex, ride out, but Security did respond, knocked on Talker’s door.

Now get this …. Talker’s brother is ill. Talker said he’s showing signs of Covid, but won’t let her test him, so she’s staying locked up inside just in case. (She’s not the one mentioned in the notice posted to our doors. That’s someone else we don’t know who).

So, when Security shows up, they tell her to open the door, they need to speak with her about a noise complaint. She says, "I can’t open the door. We possibly have Covid".

I guess the guys decided they don’t get paid enough to catch Covid, so they said "Okay, ma’am. Thank you" and left.

Karen has been warned about further complaints, so I wonder if management will finally get off their butts and carry through on what they said they’d do if she complained again. They certainly had no problem moving on my Buddy Apache.

There’s also the situation with my downstairs neighbor across the quad, the Smoker. She’s still smoking.

It also turns out she’s had Covid and has been suffering with Long Covid since. (They say long covid, but I think it might be the smoking). The office won’t let her near them, not even to pay rent, so she’s been giving her check to my Next-Door Neighbor (NDN) who has been dropping it off for her.

While I was away, she asked NDN to pick up medication for her at the pharmacy and also to purchase liquor.

NDN picked up the prescription but failed to bring back liquor, whereupon the Smoker was so upset that she threw something at NDN.

She then called an Uber, had the driver take her to the liquor store, thereby jeopardizing the driver's health if she does have long-covid.

Long-covid aside, it seems she has no problem getting out and about to get liquor, but not to pick up medication or smoke outside like the other smokers. 

I don’t think NDN is going to help her again.

While Red Light was telling me all this about the Smoker, I remarked that I’d not seen the food delivery truck drop off her meals in a while, that I wasn’t sure she was eating and suggested we contact someone to check on her.

Red Light said she’ll called Protective Services, that I am to expect to see people coming to the Smoker’s door.

I hope they wear masks and I hope she answers and lets someone help her.

A lot happened in the short time I was away and during reentry.