I did something today I've been putting off for a couple of months. I delivered the popcorn that they ordered from my son for his Cub Scout fundraiser.
I've been putting it off for several reasons:
1) the most valid reason: I've been ill lately. For the last 2 months, I've had strep, an ear infection, a throat infection, and then a sinus infection. I didn't want to go anywhere and get them ill.
2) the passive-aggressive reason: I was waiting on them to contact me. That was my hubby's reasoning why he didn't try harder to get a hold of them while I was ill.
3) I regained a little weight. Over the summer, I lost 30 pounds. From all the stress/depression from moving, I put most of it back on. I have taken some of that back off lately. I want to give them one less thing to gossip about.
4) it's so damn awkward! These people went from almost-like-family to slumlords/thieves/liars within a couple of months. I have nothing to say to them, other than: Here's your popcorn. At least, nothing else that's nice to say.
My Girl Scout troop did a service project today for MLK Jr. Day and did a tree planting. Since we were relatively in the area, I decided to drop off their popcorn on the way back. With carpooling and being dirty from the service project, I had a solid excuse to drop the popcorn and run. I asked the other mom if it was ok to make the quick stop on the way home. It was nice to have some moral support, as this mom has known me throughout this whole mess.
My former landlord/friend's house was filled with cars. I was hoping they'd be at work, so I was especially nervous about a confrontation and them showing off to whoever was there. So, I parked next door at his parent's house. I was hoping to leave it on the porch and run. I was halfway through the yard when his mom opened the door and came out.
Seeing his mom was happy, sad, and awkward at the same time. I have known this family since my hubby and I started dating. He knew them since high school. His mom was the first person that we told when we were pregnant with our first child. My daughter is named in part after her, as that is her middle name. She was close to tears and tried to hug me. I took a step back and told her I've been sick and was dirty from the service project, both of which were true. I'm also still so pissed off at them.
Every time they have been able to help Greasy (the former friend's other best friend) or my hubby, they choose Greasy. They have pretty well paying jobs at the same company. Years ago, my hubby and Greasy were both looking for work. My hubby had worked part-time jobs for years, but wanted a better job to support our family. Greasy had never worked, but they helped him get a job there, instead. This type of stuff has happened over and over again for the last 15 years or so that I've known them.
Same thing with the rental house. Unbeknownst to us, they had stopped paying the mortgage and the garbage bill months before they asked us to live there. Within a month, the garbage cans were repossessed and we had no garbage service. 3 months after that, the house went into foreclosure. The 4 months of rent had been their vacation fund for the summer and they all had a good laugh about it. Slumlord gave us an incentive to move and offered us some of our rent back if we moved by the end of September, yet another lie.
The very next day, Greasy and his wife moved in! Our neighbors there texted me and told me about it. Greasy paid the back mortgage to keep Slum from losing the house. Of course, they probably lied and said that we never paid the rent, just like they told us about the previous tenants. This shit is why I don't believe in karma. I get screwed over and that person ends up better off than they were before. Greasy and Slum have a "handshake rent-to-own" deal. ha! Slum will never sign over the title to that house and he'll screw Greasy over just like he did to us!
Anyway, Slum's mom told me how much she'd missed us and loves us and how she was hoping we'd show up at their house someday. I let her say her piece, as I know she'd been holding it in for months. It's just tough, because, as sincere as she sounded, I feel like they were all in on it. If any of them were really our friends, they would have said they were behind and there was the chance of losing the house instead of letting us move in, transfer the kids to another school, and then have to move again in 4 months. Or, at least give us our rent money back, as it was never used for the mortgage and bills for that rental. They've all said they were sorry, but like I tell my kids, don't tell me you're sorry, show me you're sorry.
I'm emotional, as goodbyes/confrontations suck. But, I'm glad that I got that over with. I had been fearing that they'd report my son to the Boy Scout Council or something for not delivering the popcorn. I wouldn't put anything past Mrs. Slum. I was really hoping to avoid all of them and drop the popcorn on the porch and text them when I got home. If I had to talk to any of them, I'm glad it was one of the parents, though.
Thanks for reading,
~ Vanessa
