On the 11th Day of Christmas

Get your tea ready for another episode of Tales of the Complex.

The resident who just moved into the vacant unit of the quad last week — the evicted Smoker’s unit, is already trying to move out.

Let’s call her CCAB for Can't Catch a Break.

Though I’ve not yet met CCAB, but seeing a dresser drawer on the patio since the day she moved in, I’d begun to think we’d been stuck with another wackadoodle, like the girl in the unit beneath mine.

So, running into Red Light over the weekend, figuring she'd probably knocked on CCAB's door to welcome her to the quad, I inquired "How's your new neighbor working out?"

"She’s nice but trying to move out already".

Turns out, CCAB is not entirely new. She’d been living on the opposite side of the complex, asked to be moved because one of the residents in that building was a hoarder, which hoarding resulted in a roach problem, not only in CCAB’s unit but in her furnishings as well.

Thus, the reason why her dresser is on the patio, rather than inside.

However, if she fears the dresser is infected, she should just throw it in the trash, not bring it anywhere near any of us.

Red Light is worried. So worried that she has been setting traps around her own unit, so nothing can creep in from furniture CCAB brought with her, or from the dresser on the patio.

As for why CCAB has requested to be moved — evidently, management did not do a good enough or thorough enough job of getting rid of the toxic odor of cigarette smoke left behind by Smoker.

It’s a situation of from the frying pan to the fire for CCAB. She fled a roach infestation, now she’s subjected to breathing toxic air.

Pest Control is on the property once-a-week, spraying stuff outside around the buildings, and is available to spray inside upon request. Knowing this, I asked Red Light how the roach problem was allowed to get so bad for CCAB.

"They won't" (meaning management wouldn't send pest control to the hoarder's unit).

I find that hard to believe, but inasmuch as I had the same problem with former manager Nurse Ratched when termites were swarming, it could very well be true.

I forget how many weeks it took for that dumb beoch Nurse Ratched to get Termite Control up here, but I do recall it took weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of my badgering, complaining, and her lying about Termite Control will be here date specific to take care of the issue, only to learn she'd lied, had not scheduled them.

It ended with her, frustrated by my persistence, sending Head Maintenance Guy up here to "vacuum up dead bugs", with his reporting back to her that termites were swarming, her showing up to see for herself saying, "I thought they were ..." I don't recall the stupid response she came up with what she thought.

At any rate, Termite Control showed up pretty quick after that, handled the issue.

So, it is entirely possible management is not handling, and does not care about the infestation caused by the hoarder.

Moving out is not looking good for CCAB, as I’m told she’s on the county roll and the county has refused the request, telling her the rule is she has to stay in one place for a year.

A year of breathing toxic air can result in serious health issues so, if management and the county won’t help, and she has no other options, I’d invest in a gas mask to tough it out, maybe get rid of the dresser on the patio, set up a tent, do most of my daily living outside, in fresh air, embarrassing management.

Having seen CCAB being shown the unit by Assistant Maintenance Guy, I asked "Didn’t she smell it when shown the unit?"

I don’t know how true it is but, according to Red Light, management didn’t let her see the unit before she signed the lease.

I just don’t know about not letting her or her being so anxious to get out of the other building that she just went ahead, signed, is now stuck with.

Not only is this a problem for CCAB's health, but because she's using the heater, further stirring up the smell of cigarettes, that smell is travelling through the vents, reaching the unit on the back side. That resident is already complaining of feeling ill to management.

It’s a mess and not looking good for those being affected.

As an aside, it might help if, instead of keeping the little kitchen window and patio sliding door — the only sources of fresh air for that unit shut tight, that she at least leave these areas open during the day, air the place out.