Day in - Day out

I’m sure everybody has been wondering/worried about the events that have been happening in my life and would like a status update concerning my ordeal with the downstairs tenant.

I really don’t have much to tell. Part of this deals with the nature of my blog. I’m not really into telling people about the bad situations in my life. I try to stay away from that unless it makes a funny story or I’m posting a chapter from my memoir, The Big M. I suppose the reason why I had given so much detail in the previous posts dealt with my own fear and stress. I needed release, and my blog allowed me to voice that release. Now, I just want to move on with my life.

Yet I do realize your curiosity about the tenant relationship. I’ll make this post brief and just deal with the main aspects as to how they transpired from the very beginning. Here is the entire recap in a very concise/brief manner. Forgive my style of writing for the following entries. I’m getting down to the nitty-gritty of it and throwing grammar rules out the window.
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- New tenants move into apartment below mine.

- Tenants complain about noises I make such as: flushing toilet, taking shower, flipping the pages in the books I read, walking around apartment, farting, belching, washing dishes, playing music, typing on laptop, and whatever else a normal person does inside their apartment to have a life.

- Tenants complain to Landlord, saying I don’t have job to pay rent if I’m there during the days. Tenants sleep during the days, work (I don’t know what) during nights and need their beauty sleep.

- I was downsized from previous company but started training for a new job. Also, I was hired to do freelance article writing. Technically, I have two jobs. When I am not at my outside work, I’m at home writing. When I’m not writing, I’m sleeping. Most of my awake hours involve work.

- Landlord doesn’t care what I do so long as I pay the rent on time. I do, two weeks before rent is due. Always. And I have never bounced a check on my account. Ever.

- I talk with someone about getting rid of old laptop. Tenant sees/overhears conversation. Tenant talks loudly about stealing the computer. He waits until dark, checking to see if light is on in my apartment, going back into his place LOUDLY saying that I’m still awake and that he can wait all night if he has to before breaking inside. It never occurs to him that if he can hear everything I do inside my apartment, then obviously I can hear HIM talking in his.

- Duh!

- I write note and hang it on my apartment door. Then I go to bed.

- Tenant sees light off and pops open downstairs door after I triple-checked to make sure it was locked. I hear him come upstairs, listen to silence, then hear him quietly go back downstairs and close door. Then he shouts, “FUCK HER,” before slamming close apartment door. He informs wife about the nature of the note he read - about how I can hear them talking. Then there is silence for the next few days.

- I take that as guilt for the attempted crime and that the tenant was the one who tried to commit it. If he never read my note, he would have no reason to quiet down while talking in his apartment.

- I tell handyman about attempted break-in. He informs Landlord. Deadbolt is placed on bottom door. Landlord talks with the both of us, but can do little more than tell the Tenant that he doesn’t want any trouble started.

- A day later, two teens are found climbing on fire escape getting into different apartment building adjacent to the building where I live. Neighbors are alerted by the sounds on squeaky steps and dog barking. Someone contacts Landlord. Landlord has lock for entrance door leading to fire escape fixed. He relocates teens and family living in adjacent building.

- Tenant can no longer pop open downstairs door. He talks about using fire escape to get into apartment. Since he can’t pop lock on entranceway door leading to fire escape, he has to climb the fence. Yet the dog barks every time he goes back there: 5 times, to be exact. Dog owner opens backdoor to see why dog is barking so much. Tenant gives up, enters his apartment, blares his radio with some gangsta rap, and makes enough noise trying to piss me off. I ignore him even when he punches the wall and screams, “BITCH.” I have a high tolerance for sound, unlike him.

- At the prodding of friends/co-workers, I finally went to the police station and told them the story. They, being police, could only relate my options and what they can/cannot do concerning the situation. I return home with no justice done.

- Tenant continues to talk with his friends concerning noises. It seems like more of a scare tactic now, wanting me to be afraid for my life so that I will break my lease and move. I don’t have $4000 to break my lease - that’s how much I would have to pay up-front to the Landlord. Tenant still acts all innocent to Landlord, saying I’m the one causing problems with false accusations. Yet I could care less about them to cause trouble.

- Tenant begins talking LOUDLY about just wanting me to leave. He goes so far as to say he’ll stand outside and bum rush me when I open the door. He doesn’t even want my computer anymore. He just wants to “deal with me.” After an incident where he’s talking with girlfriend about where I sleep in my apartment, I get up early and leave. I’m sick of his games. I get video/tape recorder. I start taping them for proof he’s saying such things and I’m not making anything up

- Tenant still talks about getting at me, actually getting a gun to shoot me, and creating story for police to get out of trouble. I finally snap, getting fed up with his words. I scream at the wall for him to, “Shut the fuck up! I’ve never heard a more whiny-er bastard in my entire life!” Tenant shuts up. Then I talk on cell phone loudly so he can hear me, relating all I’ve gone through and how he’ll never get away with anything by the police. They'll still peg him with the crime.

- Tenant has kept his mouth shut since, but wife complains again to Landlord saying I don’t have a job to pay rent. Obviously I must since I paid it, yesterday to cover next month, but logic doesn’t dwell with those people.

- Today, Landlord pounds on downstairs door and yells at my window needing to get inside to show off a different apartment to a prospective tenant. He doesn’t have key yet from handyman for deadbolt. I tell him I already sent out the rent check and to expect it in his mailbox by Saturday. Landlord leaves and is confronted by Tenant, complaining about noises. Landlord says he’s trying to do the best he can to make arrangements.

- I hope those arrangements involve moving downstairs tenant.

- I wish I had thicker walls in my apartment.