Acutely Aware that I Don't Have a Man by my Side

Yesterday morning I was acutely aware that I don't have a man by my side. Every so often this happens, generally when a man is a jerk to me, and I know he would be far less of a jerk or even downright respectful if I was not alone.

The maintanence man has been angry at me for more than a week, every since my friend Rick, who is a plumber, gave me a laundry list of what's unsafe and unhealthful around my apartment. Most of these items would be clear to anyone, even those who don't know a hammer from a nail. Things like the threshold that's in several pieces and the termite-riddled porch railing, things I noted when I first moved in.

As yesterday was the first of the month, rent was due. I told the young guy who picks up the checks that I was writing a note and my envelope would be ready in a few minutes. Before I could finish, let's-call-him-Don, who must have been waiting in the truck, stormed up to the door and started yelling at me. I pointed out that the crawl space at the back of the house had been wide open for more than a week, creating a superhighway for rodents. Don said that he had left it off for the plumber who is supposed to reposition the dryer vent so that it discharges water and heat outside the house rather than under my bedroom. I wondered why it was taking so long to find a plumber. Don said he didn't know when he was coming. I wondered why the plumber couldn't loosen a few screws to access the crawl space. Don said that this was "building work," something beyond the purview of a plumber. I couldn't believe this. You mean if a plumber went to a job site and found a secured crawl space, he would be dumbfounded and wouldn't know how to use a screwdriver! I just hate it when people lie like this to me.

When I said that I had called five times about rats since moving in and that nothing more than placing poison and setting traps was accomplished, Don started yelling, three times in a row, "You should move!" I said it would be much cheaper and efficient to just fix the places where the rats are gaining access--the unsecured crawl spaces and the gaps between the boards. But this of course involves too much effort.