Crazy Neighbor?

I've been thinking about this. Because it really did scare me. And it's really out of the ordinary for my neighborhood...

Yesterday, we got back to town. It's been a crazy couple of days. Heck, I can go out on a limb and say, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! But we made it back. Sanchoncito came back with us. Completely unexpected, because I thought he was going back to Mexico. But as you will find out, I was so completely grateful that he came back.

From the airport, we had an hour drive home. And I rode with Memo and Cari. They dropped me off at my house, and I'm assuming, went home. I was completely exhausted! All I wanted to do, was get home and get some studying done, pack a bag for today, and crawl into bed. I should have gone with my instincts...

Well, I felt gross from the flight and decided to take a quick shower. Don't think I'm crazy, but I went to my car for my comfy sweats. Yes, I have an overnight bag in my car. Because many times, I get a call and have to go on a road trip in a few minutes. Or I get stuck at work. Yes, working at a hospital is insane! And it requires a bag of clothes and basic grooming products. So I went to my car. Which is parked in my carport.

As I was walking from the carport back to my front door, my neighbor past by. And like every other day, I waved. I wave to all the neighbors. Heck, I wave to the people that walk and run through our neighborhood in the mornings. I live in a friendly neighborhood. But not like most days, my neighbor stopped. And he introduced himself. His name is John. At least, I think it's John. And he's lived in his house for 4 years? I think that's what he said. He also told me that another one of our neighbors had died. Very sad. That's 2 neighbors in less than 10 days!

Like my friend that lives across the way, he told me that if I ever need anything, just "holler." I said OK. He sounded nice. And it was actually nice, to finally talk to this man, that I always wave to. Before he left, he mentioned that he was going to be roasting some green chili and grilling some ribs. It was for his kids' birthdays. He's a 30 something year old, single dad. They were having a nice meal that night. He asked if I liked ribs, and I said yes. I wasn't going to lie. He asked, I answered. I thought nothing of it.

Well, he left. And I went back into my house. And before getting into the shower, I decided that I should probably go workout first. Because I had a feeling, that the rest of the day, was going to be pretty lazy. Let's face it, my suitcase was still sitting next to the front door. In the exact place, I had left it. So I changed clothes, and went for a run.

When I got home, the little old lady next door, came out of her house. She looked a little shocked. And she told me that John had come by my house. Looking for me, she guessed. He knocked and hollered for me. Which scared her. And she came outside to see what was going on. She told him that I had left. So he eventually left.

About an hour later, I got home. That's when I talked to the little old lady. I was confused. I had no idea what was going on. But I was tired. And covered in sweat and dirt. So I decided to go shower. And right after, I fell asleep. I'm not going to lie. I was exhausted. And when I woke up, it was evening time. I figured, I'd get some yard work done. You know, it consumes my life. This yard is just too big for one person. But I needed to water and get some of the weeds pulled. So I changed into some "too big for me" jeans and an old t-shirt. I fought with the hose, which busted, while on. I dug up some grass in the flower beds. And tried to water some of my plants and flowers.

John came over just as I was wrestling the old hose out of the shed. The little gate was locked. I was on the gated side of the fence. Completely covered in mud. John couldn't get to my side of the fence, because the gate was locked. But he came with arms full of food. A frozen container of enchilada sauce, some bags of freshly roasted green chili, a plate of ribs, and a bucket of fresh eggs. Um, what?

I didn't remember saying that I needed food. But I was being polite. Heck, Jan next door, used to always bring me food. Granted that we knew each other really well, and at least sat and talked once a week. But like I said, I live in a friendly neighborhood. Heck, the entire town is friendly like this! I told John "Thank You." It was way more than he should have done.

He continued to talk. About some fire pit that he has behind his house. And how he was going to be having a fire that night. OK. Well, he invited me. And I told him that I would probably be working and studying...maybe next time. Again, I was trying to be polite. All I could think about was getting some sleep.

He left. I went back to working. I unlocked the gate. Watered the plants and flowers in the front. I left the gate open while I had the sprinkler on in the front yard. Because the other hose had busted, I had to leave the gate open. And I continued to pull weeds in the side yard. But near the back. John came back again.

This time, he was walking. And he came to bring me his phone number. Just in case I ever needed it. I thought this was insane. But whatever. Other neighbors had given me their phone numbers. But we had known each other for a while. And we lived closer. And took care of each other's homes. At this point, I was just tired. And trying to get my yard work done. John kept talking. I kept pulling weeds. But I was starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable. Finally he left.

I was uncomfortable, tired, and hungry. The mosquitoes were biting me. And well, I was ready for a break. Heck, it was already almost dark. So I put all my tools away. Locked up all the gates. And headed inside. I put some enchiladas together, threw them in the oven, and put some rice to cook. Then, I headed to go take a shower. Remember, I was covered in mud!

Just as I got in the shower, I heard someone banging on the screen door. And then on the front windows. Screaming, "Hey! Anyone there?" Um, I had just gotten in the shower. I was tired. I wanted to have dinner. It was nearly 9PM! I just wanted to scream "GO AWAY!" But I was in the shower.

I tried to ignore him. But I guess the light from my laptop was enough to keep him there yelling. The entire house was dark. Except the light from my laptop, which was sitting near a front window. And the light from the bathroom. Which you can't see from the front of the house.

I showered. Heck if I know how long I was in there. I was tired. And seriously, I was falling asleep while trying to shower. Every time I would hear him yell, it woke me up. And the dogs were going nuts outside. I showered, got dressed, turned off the stove, turned off the oven, and quietly made my way to lay down. I really didn't want to deal with this man. I maneuvered through my dark house, and just laid down.

And I lay in bed for at least 30 minutes. The dogs are going nuts! And I was getting frustrated. Seriously man, if I'm not answering the door, and 95% of the lights are off, it's time to go home. But he wouldn't. As I was getting ready to call my "Cop Friend," who lives down the other side of the street, I heard my other neighbors get home. The little old man, from across the street, came to my rescue!

He cussed out John. Told him he had 30 seconds to get off my property or he was going to call the cops. I love that old man! John and the little old man began yelling at each other. It was getting crazy. And I think more people were becoming aware of the situation. So John finally left. The dogs quieted down. And I still lay there. Not moving. In complete darkness. I was scared. My neighbors probably assumed I wasn't home. Lots of times, I catch a ride with a doctor to the hospital. Or I walk to school. Or something of the sort. It's not uncommon to see my car at my house, and I'm not home.

But what was up with this man? I didn't ask him to bring me the food. Heck, it's all in the freezer. Not sure I'm going to be eating it. I didn't invite him to my house. And I didn't tell him that I was going to his house. He is sure nuts. Don't you think?

Well, sometime after 10PM, I was still scared. And not getting a damn thing done. Just laying in bed. In complete silence and darkness. Just waiting for this crazy man to come back. So I called Sanchoncito. Who I knew, was at his own house. He could tell I was scared. The second I said "Hello," I could hear him turn off his TV, and head out the door. I didn't ask him to, but he was coming over.

In record time, 10 minutes later, Sanchoncito was at my front door. I had never been so happy to see this man! As he pulled into my driveway, I peeked out the window. Relief took over my body. I ran to the front door, and I hugged him. I let him into my house, and I told him what had happened. He thought the entire situation, was just as crazy as I did. Sanchoncito told me, there was no way he was leaving me there alone, for the night.

Just as we were sitting down to watch some TV, John came back. Was banging on the windows. Screaming for me. I freaked out. Sanchoncito got up. He told me to lock the door behind him. He went out the front door, I locked it, and he went out the locked porch. I could him them arguing. And I called my "Cop Friend." He was on duty. And actually down the road. Lights and sirens on, he was in front of my house before we got off the phone.

He came and told John he needed to leave immediately. And if he was caught there again, if there was any trouble at my house, or anything whatsoever happened at my house, they would be going after him. John was beyond mad! I think he honestly figured that Sanchoncito and I were dating or something. He wasn't happy that I wouldn't answer the door for him, but this other man, I let him in.

My "Cop Friend" took a bunch of information down. Made sure I wasn't going to be alone. We talked about my schedule for the next 2 weeks. And he assured me that he'd be patrolling around the neighborhood and taking extra care around my house. He also made sure that Sanchoncito was going to be around for at least a week. No one wanted me to be alone. Then he left.

Sanchoncito knew I had to leave early this morning. Knew I had to work. But he didn't want me to stay at my house alone. So he stayed with me. I made him come with me to my room, so I could pack my bag. It was like I expected John to pop out from under the bed or from the closet. And then Sancho took my bag to my car. I then had to do some work for the hospital, and Sancho sat quietly reading some book I had on my bookshelf.

I was still too rattled to sleep, so we watched whatever dumb shows come out in the middle of the night. It was that bad! He sat on the couch. I was on the rocking chair. It really didn't help that it was super windy outside too. There was a big storm blowing in. And before I knew it, I was sitting right next to Sanchoncito. Every noise scared me. When in the world did I become so scared? I swear, I've lived here for 9 years. I've never been scared. I've never been afraid to be alone. Last night, I was practically sitting in Sanchoncito's lap.

Well, eventually, I fell asleep. On the couch. Sancho stayed awake. I think he feared that I'd sleep through my 4AM wake up call. He sat in the dark. On the rocking chair. I remember this, because at some point during the night, I saw him sitting there. I slept on the couch. Aren't we hilarious? I have a 3 bedroom house. And I sleep on the couch.

At 4AM, Sanchoncito came to wake me up. I swear, I about died. I don't know what I thought. If someone had gotten in. Or what. But I freaked. Sanchoncito calmed me down. But he could tell, this man had freaked the crap out of me!

I got ready. Sanchocito made us some breakfast. Um, does it count if he just made instant oatmeal? Ya, it does. Because that's all I really had in my house. And I got ready to leave. Sanchoncito and I locked up my house, and he checked out my car. I got in. He got in his truck. And he followed me to the gas station, and then out of town. Literally, he followed me for about 20 miles, before turning around, and heading back to his house. He just wanted to make sure I was going to be OK.

But this has really freaked me out. Like what am I supposed to do? Should I call the cops and report it? Should I tell him to leave me alone? Will the dude go all psycho on me? Should I keep my trap shut? Maybe I should just call my "Cop Friend" and ask his opinion.

Honestly, why do all the weirdos find me? Yes, I have four restraining orders already. Two weirdos found me at school. Both girls. Both insane! The other two are for crazy family members. I stopped going to church at 7AM, because of that weird old man. Now this? What do I do? I mean, I don't feel safe in my own home now.

Tonight, I'm staying at my parents' house. Because I'm working in town today. And tonight is Patrick's Rosary. But I really don't want to go home. I have to. But I don't want to. And I highly doubt that Sanchoncito, is still going to be there for a few more days.. Even if he is there, what am I going to say? Can you stay at my house? You know, I'm scared...

Um, I can't do that. I could stay at his house, or at J's. Heck even Memo's. But what would that solve? I would still feel uncomfortable at my house. And I don't want to tell my parents. They'd freak out. So I think I'm just going to enjoy the safety here, tonight. And tomorrow, I'm going to go see my "Cop Friend" when I get home. He's a professional after all. I'm sure he'll know what to do. ♥

Post Internship, Day 2

Today was another one of those days. You know, were I had no idea what to do. Think about yesterday, just worse...

I had nothing really planned. And I started my day with looking for a job. I put in 5 applications. And all I can do is pray. Because there are so many people looking for a job right now. Especially in this tiny town!

I came home and had some leftover spaghetti. Which was yummy! And I called my parents. Who seemed happy. Which was nice. Because things have been stressful. You know, my brother and all. Anyway, my brother went to the BINGO last night. And he won. $1100. Who knows what he's going to do with it. Probably waste it away. But whatever. How do some people have all the luck. Not even a month ago, he won almost $400 playing the slots. But you know how that goes...

Anyway, yesterdays weather spoiled me a bit. And today I paid dearly for it. It was so HOT! Especially in my house. I couldn't take it. Turns out, it was 90 something today. And still 10 degrees below are normal. Yes, we should have been at least 107 degrees today. I hope tomorrow is not that HOT!

But I knew I needed to tackle the yard. You know, the rain only brings weeds. And I needed to get those under control. I decided to work on my front yard. Since it's under the pecan trees. And well, mushrooms have invaded! And they're tearing up my yard! The little bit of grass is just getting eaten by these mushrooms. They were not there yesterday! How did this happen?

So I pulled and pulled. Weeds and mushrooms. 2 bags full! And I tried to give my flowers some TLC. I'm really starting to lose hope in my flowers. They just won't bloom. It's been too hot. But I did get some flowers and plants together for my Mom. I promised to take her some when I go home. :)

After almost passing out, I decided to stop. You know, get some water and catch my breath. I realized I was bright red. And I was probably overdoing it. I thought about dinner. Then figured it was too hot to eat. I skipped dinner again. I know. But that's how it goes sometimes.

I tried to catch up on some important things. I collected my laundry. And packed. I'm going to see my parents tomorrow. Just for a couple of days. But now, I'm ready. And around 6PM, I decided to try my hand at yard work again. It was a lot cooler.

I was doing good. Pulling those pesky little weeds that grow along my fence. Picking up all the trash that was caught up in my fence. Watering my little seedlings and checking on my plants. It was going well. Until I decided to get some water. I locked myself out of my house! Seriously, this is a HUGE issue. I guess I could have gone to Memo's or J's house. But I figured they weren't home.

So I attempted to break into my house. Which is tough! I have those steel sash, crank windows from like the 40s/50s. And well, everything was closed up. Except, my kitchen windows. Which are inside my screened in, locked porch. Ugh! But I managed. My neighbors' dogs were going nuts. But I found a small piece of wire. And I managed to get into the porch. Then, I managed to get the screen of one of the windows. It was so hard! But thankfully, I hadn't put it back on right yesterday. When I had cleaned them. A good thing. I was able to climb up the wall, thank goodness for my rickety old outside chair, and I squeezed through a window that had a very small opening. My window was only opened about halfway. And wouldn't open any further. Because I had it locked. Total time, 2 hours! I could have kicked myself for that.

I managed to get everything locked down again. Made sure things were in order. And decided to sit outside with my water. It was nearly 9PM, but so HOT still! As I was watering some plants in my front porch, a small SUV stopped at the stop sign. In front of my neighbor's house. I could hear some yelling, but tried to ignore it. Wrong move people! The lady, who was driving, through the man out! With his case of beer. All was very strange. But I sat there and watched.

He walked across the street, to my side of the street. Beer in tote. Mumbling to himself. And the lady drove off. Not sure what was going on. He walked down the street. And I kinda forgot about him. Until, I decided to load some stuff into my car for tomorrow. I saw him sitting, 2 houses down, in the front yard. Talking to the lady neighbor. He was clearly upset.

I packed up. And I could sorta hear them. Not what they were saying, but their tone of voice. I felt bad for the guy. But I had no clue what was going on. Again, I went to sit in my front porch and just relax. It was finally cooling down. Then my neighbor got home. And there was all sorts of yelling. I think the 2 men are related somehow. But I don't know how.

The small guy (beer guy) was asking my neighbor (Big Daddy-that's his business name) a question. And before I knew it they were yelling at each other. In the middle of the street, right in front of my house. I didn't want to get up. Because I knew they couldn't see me. But if I got up, they would hear me. I prayed it would be over soon.

And before I knew it, Big Daddy was bumping his stomach into Beer Guy. Beer Guy was trying to walk away, but Big Daddy wouldn't let him. Then, fist hit face. With a loud bang! Big Daddy really has a mean punch! Something for me to remember...

Before I knew it, Beer Guy took off running. And Big Daddy was screaming at our good neighbor to call the cops. Well, he comes Good Neighbor, in his little truck. And they take off to look for Beer Guy. Around this time, I remember I need to put a few more things in my car. And as that is happening, I see Beer Guy running down another street. The guys in the truck, nowhere to be seen. The lady, still sitting in her front yard.

Then the guys return, take off in 2 trucks and can't find Beer Guy. Before I know it, the cops are in front of Big Daddy's house. Taking the report from his wife. Big Daddy nowhere to be seen. Turns out, Beer Guy left his case of beer (40 pack?-I don't know the proper beer terminology) and had her cell phone. Because the fight just sorta happened.

Good neighbor came home. Parked his truck and went inside. That was just a few minutes ago. Big Daddy? Well he just got home too. Now he's talking to the cops. I remember, not too long ago, this was a very quiet neighborhood. Now this. I just don't know what to say.

But that was my day. Post internship, day 2. I'm usually not home a lot. So I'm learning a lot about my neighbors. Like my neighbor next door, he's selling all his furniture. And I'm watching the news. A shootout in my hometown today. The shooter also kills himself. There was a shootout across the border, and a drug related cartel accident on the bridge. 2nd in just 3 days. It's crazy people! But I guess this is my life now. ♥