We don't need no water let the motherf*cker burn.
Why am I still awake this late on a weeknight when I'm so old, you ask? Is it because I've been out at a wild "rager" as the kids call it? Noooo. Is it because I have an amazing new boyfriend I can't help getting freaky with? Noooo. Is it because I've been sitting in my parking lot for an hour while firemen rush in and out of my apartment building? Yes. Yes, that's exactly it.
At just around midnight I woke to the shrieking of alarms and, strangely enough, the smell of spaghetti-ohs. Completely disoriented, I tried to find some pants, because even in the midst of a fire, a girl can't leave the house pantsless. Deciding to first see what was going on before taking the cat outside, I ventured into the hallway and found that outside my apartment it smelled of burning...and spaghetti-ohs. There was no sign of smoke, but the neighbors were pouring out of the building. After a couple of minutes there was still no smoke, but a whole lot of water as the sprinkler system started doing its job. Beginning to panic about the cat, I ran back inside - possibly a foolish move, but I wasn't very well going to abandon Ozzie cat. It took me a while to find him and he clawed up my shoulder pretty well as I brought him outside. Get this - the white ball of hate was so scared that he didn't make a noise - no growling, no hissing, no meowing, just some crazy staring and a hearbeat like a drumline. I had no idea what to do with him, so I put him safely in my car.
It took the fire truck about 10 or 15 minutes to get to our house, and they only came because my neighbor finally called 911. Even with everything all over, no one has heard from anyone who actually works in the property management office. Good God, why isn't my lease up??
Anyway, there's nothing like a wee-hour-of-the-morning emergency to make you cozy with your neighbors. Everyone made small talk, but you could tell we were all eyeing each other suspiciously wondering who made the burning. I'm still not exactly sure what happened, but it speaks to the shittiness of my neighbors...According to one fireman, one of the apartments on the floor above mine had a stove fire. The sprinkler system did what it was supposed to and stopped the fire from spreading, but no one knows the people who live there, they weren't in the parking lot, and when the firemen arrived the door was completely ajar and all of the lights were on. Whoever they are, they're in for a rude awakening because their place is now completely soaked with water. Unfortunately, so is the apartment below theirs. I tried to console my neighbor as we watched her furniture slowly get ruined beneath the water flowing from vents in her ceiling, but...what do you say? What can you offer? I told her she was welcome to sleep on my couch, but she has family near by to stay with.
I should be asleep now, thankful that I had no fire or water damage, but I'm a bit paranoid seeing as the watery apartments in question are adjoining my bedroom and bathroom walls. So far so good, though, and I know eventually I'm just going to have to go to sleep and check on it again in the morning. I'm feeling pretty smart for investing in renter's insurance, and hoping I truly won't end up needing it.
I suppose it's time to retire. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll have a lovely dream about firemen.