A friend of mine has a problem. She and her husband bought some land and are building a house. It’s not on City water, and it turns out the well water isn’t potable. Somehow this didn’t show up in earlier tests. Their only option — besides losing their home – is to spend $38,000 to dig a deeper well. It got me thinking, it just never ends, does it?
It seems like we spend our lives trying to become grownups with all the problems solved — at least the ones caused by dependence on other people who may not be competent. I’ve been working on it for years.
I thought I had it solved by buying a home — no more hassles with landlords, fear of getting kicked out or the rent being raised. I’m on my own, free and over 21. Nobody can give me shit; I own this place. Then the other day, I got a Rules Violation Slip from the principal’s office. I mean the condo homeowner’s association. There’s an oil spot (not quite the Exxon Valdez) in my garage, and they wanted me to appear in a hearing tonight.
Screw that noise. I’m not appearing for anything. I called them up — the management company. Said hey, I’ll clean it up. All you had to do was friggin’ ask nicely. No, they say, we’ve got 280 units here, we don’t have the time or inclination to be nice. This is how we communicate with each other; this is how we do it.
I don’t think I’m inclined to be nice to people who don’t want to be civilized and polite. If we can’t get along together, we can get along separately. Maybe I should sell out, buy a piece of land in the country, build my own damn house where I … won’t have to … um … answer …. ah, nuts.
Metaphor 