I'm turning into the old lady who peers through the blinds. We've got two apartments above us and two others below us. We are careful not to make too much noise (hardwood floors) in the early morning so as not to disturb the below tenants. The upstairs tenants don't seem to have this, er, sensitivity. And I keep seeing strangers come in and out of the building. They all know the code to the entry so they must be "people" of the tenants. I peer out of the blinds to try to emblazon their faces upon my memory. And then I listen to hear which apartment they go into.
I'm whacko. The nude dancer upstairs still hasn't paid his rent for this month (just repeat last month's performance, sans my hysterical reaction and angst to it) and so I pay particular attention to his apartment. He was gone for 6 days and he has a cat. The cat would cry out when he heard any of the doors in the building open/close and so I knew he was starving. I hoped he was at least able to drink from the toilet. I had decided that I would enter his apartment and feed his cat if he didn't show up by yesterday, but he did, and he had some lame and unintelligible excuse for not having the rent, "My boss moved his office so I still haven't gotten paid". He is a nude dancer working for lapdances ($20 for 3 minutes) in the gay village. So you can see how his excuse is really, REALLY lame. I told him that I really didn't care why, we have the right to ask for a resiliation of his lease since the 21 day marker had passed, and that he would be responsible for all related fees if we did. (This is all spelled out here.) He said he knew all that and would have it today. We shall see. He wheedled himself another day. I told him, "You have to give me something tomorrow or I'm going to the Rental Board." Then I went back into my apartment, heard his door open/close and peered through the blinds to see him run out and hail a taxi. I thought, "Sure, got money for a fucking TAXI when the metro is a five minute walk and two bucks away."
I really need to stop peering out the window, it's bad for my health.
Update: He just got home from work and slipped an envelope with $100 under my door (which is something) and then went upstairs, made some noise and left again to hail a taxi. I hope he remembered to feed his cat.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I've got an image of you dressed up like Vicki Lawrence in "Mamma's Family" peering out through the blinds. I'm not sure that is what you intended, but I'm going to be giggling about it all day.
ReplyDelete...but, hey, these apartments are your investment - and a hefty one - so I can (seriously) appreciate your interest in what is going on.
Oh, Honey! It reminds me of my grandparents peering through the cheap lace sheers of the picture window in the Living Room. Please...just tell me you don't own a scanner?!
ReplyDeleteYou know that dancers get paid by the client. They keep the money. So he must not be a great dancer.
ReplyDeleteWhere does he work?
Don't feed the cat. If you do it will be your job from then on. Tell him you hear it crying for food and he better feed it. This poor excuse for a human being has always got by without doing his responsibilities and he always will.
ReplyDeleteI get agitated just reading about what you have to cope with.
ReplyDeleteI dont know which is worse, not feeding the cat or not paying rent. Both are terrible. I am thinking the starving cat is almost worse.
ReplyDeleteThe nude dancer reminds me of an old roomate. She made $70K as a receptionist (!!!), and could never get her share (350) of the rent by the beginning of the month.
ReplyDeleteSo just change the locks on his apartment. Tell him you'll gladly give hin a new key as soon as he gives you his rent.
ReplyDelete(Of course, rescue the cat first.)
I think I'd be peeping into his apartment when he's practicing for work....
ReplyDeleteJust sayin...
HUGS...
Not to be insensitive to your plight, but could you get Serge to video you as you are stealthily peering out the window? Good times.
ReplyDeleteGet rid of that deadbeat! Find a way!
Maybe if he is good he can swap dances for part of the rent? Just looking for ideas that work for everyone...
ReplyDeleteFeed the cat, but don't tell him. For a cat to cry out like that shows that he is really hurting. And, you don't know that your neighbor will feed him when he finally arrives home.
ReplyDeleteThe "shush shush" sound of pulling back curtains reminds me of when I was on holiday in Europe and everyone looked out their windows whenever someone walked the street.
ReplyDelete**
Oh yeah, make sure you look into his apartment when he's there... to make sure the cat is all right, of course.
Why not check, it's your property and they now have the code!
ReplyDeleteHe's going to keep putting you off as long as you let him! LOL...he's probably out looking for another place now..
He doesn't sound like a very responsible guy, I can't believe he is that heartless about the cat. What an ass!!
ReplyDeleteI can just picture you peeping out your window, nosey nellie.
:)
Glad you're at least looking out for the car. Next time I'm in Montreal I'll have to stop by Campus and have a little lap-dancing word with the boy. :)
ReplyDeleteI know when I go away, I leave mountains (MOUNTAINS!) of food out for my psychokitty. But, she still cries at the door whenever she hears someone (according to my neighbors who I've asked to check on her).
ReplyDeleteMaybe the kitty isn't hungry, just lonely?
I can't believe he takes taxi cabs when he is allegedly so broke. That would so piss me off. UGH! Given my current financial pinch, I never take a taxi unless the T has shut down *and* it is absolutely too far to walk.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I agree with VUBOQ about the cat. It could be that he/she has tons of food, but is just lonely and wanting the dancer to return.
A video is definitely in order, little cutie grumpy pants would probably LOOOVVE to be on the other end of the camera for once, wouldn't he??LOL I am a window lurker sometimes too, it's just my voyeuristic tendencies though. Devo
ReplyDeleteI'm a window peeper, too, though I don't have a good reason. I'm just looking at cute guys at other houses. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat guy is an jerk.
ReplyDeleteWant me to kick his ass for you?
Send him to the South Side of Chicago at 2am if he keeps skipping out of the rent. I bet a check will appear by morning.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice comment you left on my blog. I'll be blogging again soon, once my head is a bit less overwhelmed. And I still will visit you; you are great to read.
By the way, if he isn't feeding his cat, he's taking cabs and working as a dancer, he's probably blowing his money on hard drugs. Call the cops and suggest that you suspect something odd.
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm not kidding about this one--I've seen it and I bet others here have as well.
Poor kitty.
gladys kravitz!!! i do that too... beware if you start witnessing magic you can't explain to serge!!! lol
ReplyDeleteDepending on the laws in your area, usually if you report cruelty or animal neglect, law enforcement will enter an apartment.
ReplyDeleteAnd peeping is perfectly acceptable as long as you don't use binoculars.
However, if you ever need any you can borrow mine.
oh how i love that you do this!
ReplyDeletemy imagination sees you dressed all stealth-ish in black from head to toe, flat against the wall and motioning hand signals to spouse as a means of communication when people come and go in the building.
i really need a hobby.