misschrystal

So my roommate calls me and says that we’re going to be doing some ‘charity work’.  Okay, I’m definitely not opposed to that, but I was definitely NOT prepared for what he meant.  Seems that one of his new hires for the pipe-fitting company that he works for was homeless and needed a place to stay in order to get back on his feet.  I’ve been homeless for a short while and can empathize with the situation and my roommate has the biggest heart of any man I know so it was only natural for him to offer up floorspace in our living room since all our rentals were full right now.  So I picked up a new air mattress and some pillows to accommodate our new guests.  Neither of us were prepared for what came next…..although the guy seemed down to earth, grateful, willing to help out and social - it can’t be said the same for his wife.  Immediately upon arrival she took over the laundry room and started washing laundry without even asking if she could use our laundry soap, had everything they’d toted with them all over my living room as if it were a cheep hotel room, and she just wouldn’t shut up.  First impressions are lasting impressions and when 4 out of 5 roommates label her as ‘tweeker’ than she’s a tweeker.  The only reason it wasn’t 5 out of 5 was that the other roommate was at band practice and hasn’t weigh him opinion in yet.  To add insult to impression, we found a large kitchen spoon in the bathroom the next morning.  Hummmm - out of place.  Had there been a cup ring next to it or some dried up chocolate milk than I could have seen that it was just forgotten, but a cleaned large spoon all alone?  My roommate let them use the work truck to go pick up their bicycle and 4 hours later they still weren’t back.  He was DEFINATELY not happy!  When his neck muscles start to tense I can tell that he’s really really irritated!  We went to look for them and they returned to the house shortly after we left.  It’s just weird.  I know that it’s the right thing to do to help people out and it’s the right thing to do when even if you are struggling you can at least provide a meal or a shower or a safe place to sleep to those who aren’t as fortunate, BUT at what expense.  I’ll be changing door locks on all the bedrooms, we’ve gotten a lock box, inventoried the DVDs and I take a mental inventory of the larger more easily hockable items that are in the common areas before I go to my little part time job every day.  I make sure that someone is here with Ms Suzy Tweeks-alot just so that she’s not alone in my house EVER!  Am I paranoid or just overzealous?  Am I judgemental or just cautious?  Drugs are sad, especially if they can do such damage to your body that no matter if you are or aren’t on them at the time, you still can be labeled!  It’s not just the physical damage that it causes, but the mental deterioration that goes along with it - the ticks and uncontrollable natures that happen when you’re high that just don’t go away.  It’s sad, but it also gives me gratitude that I was able to separate myself from that life and from that demise long before it had lasting effects.  Don’t get me wrong, there are still a few things that linger for me - I think anyone that was in the drug world for any length of time outside of first time experimentation has some sort of residue on their life.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, dear reader, in hopes that our house guests will be on their way VERY SOON!

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