Might as well try to keep with this whole 'posting once a month' thing...
Seven months ago, I was presented with what seemed like an ideal situation. An acquantence of mine was in need of help with the rent, I wanted desperately out of my parents home.
The original deal was: $250 in rent, use of my car (for groceries, appointments, etc), and free childcare if I wasn't working. Pretty sweet deal, right? And it worked, with few bumps, for about six months.
So, about...four(?) weeks ago, my roommateJamie tells me that she had to take $100 out of the rent money set aside to buy school supplies for Paige. And then she just sorta looks at me, until I tell her that I can't pay the extra this month (there had been a month where I paid $650 out of the $724 which is our set rent, and in August, Chant and I shelled out like crazy, just buying necessities, etc.)
So then, a few days later, she says we have to sit down and have a talk. And she tells me that I have to start paying for half the cable, which is completely reasonable and I have no problems with that. Then she tells me that I have to start paying half the rent. On a three bedroom. Where I have the smallest room, and I live iwth her and her two kids. Next, I have to start paying more money on groceries. Then I have to quit smoking, and buy Dutch cheap dogfood, because clearly I can't afford anything more expensive. When I ask for help for my car payments, she says 'I'm not comfortable paying for something I don't use. A car is a luxury, you don't need it.'
Then, I had to go to work. And she has people over for the next four days, so I don't get the opportunity to talk to her.
So, when I finally get to sit down with her again, I tell her that no, I'm not willing to pay half rent, I will continue to pay my $250, which is just a little over 1/3. Which is reasonable, on a three bedroom, n'est pas? And if groceries are an issue? I will buy my own, and she won't have to worry about factoring me into her budget. (the last few rounds of groceries, I had either paid for, or she'd purchased with money she owed me).
And she says to me:
"This is me telling you to grow up and be a responsible adult. I've worked out your numbers, and you can afford to pay this."
Which, first of all, no, how dare you take a look at my finances without my permission? With another person? Rawr.
Then she rips into me on some of my habits, etc. etc. which okay, some of my behaviours needed to be modified. Which I was willing to do. But don't tell me I don't take care of my dog, don't tell me what I can and cannot afford to pay for. She wasn't willing to budge on any of her ultimatums, so I told her, 'Clearly you think that our current arrangement isn't fair. But I don't think that what you're asking of me is fair. It's not my responsibility to provide for your children.'
'No, but it's your responsibility to pay half the rent so I can provide for them' Which is, in my opinion, a bit of left had-right hand. 'Cause either way, I'm doling out more money so she can look after her kids.
So I told her I'd be out by the first. And she said 'October 1st?' And we had a go-round about my rights as a tenant and a roomate and that no, I would be out, by the latest, November 1st. Then she threatened my dog, and I had to go to work, so I packed up my stuff, and Dutch, dropped Dutch off at friends of mine (Bernie and Sabrina) left them a note apologizing like crazy for just dumping her like that.
I get home from work last Monday, and all of my belongings that were in the living room had been tossed haphazardly all over my bed. She'd locked the computer against me (chuckle: This computer; CUNT/Jamie has been locked blah blah blah) and things of mine that had been in my room, she'd removed. Chant suggested that I call in at Sitel and take the Tuesday off, as well as my normal days Wednesday and Thursday and just...move out.
So I did. Tuesday morning at like, 8:30, after having barely slept, I started packing up my clothes and my comics and the like. The first thing Jamie says to me?
"Have you come to your senses yet?"
If there had been even the tiniest inkling that I might just roll over and give her whatever she wanted, that statement right there just had it wsssht gone. 'Cause nuh uh, you don't get to talk to me like that. Rawr.
I said, "Jamie, I'm leaving. I will have everything out by Thursday."
"I don't understand. You're going to have to pay more rent anywhere else."
I didn't want to explain, again, that it wasn't a matter of what I had to pay. At this point I was just so angry and drained that I was shaking.
She started poking and needling at me.
"Where are you going? Huh? Where are you going?"
"I'm leaving by Thursday. Where I go and what I do from here is none of your concern."
"I can't trust you anymore. I have running around I have to do today, I don't want you in here alone, so you can't move in today."
"Well, that's too bad Jamie, because I paid rent this month. And I've told you I'll be out by Thursday. Until then, I can come and go as I please."
"I want that key back."
"Not until I'm completely moved out."
"That's not acceptable."
I just looked her square in the face. "Tough shit." And I kept packing my stuff. She started in on the where was I going thing again.
Over and over again. I just kept repeating the party line. Then she switched tacks
"Running back to Mommy and Daddy then?"
And then finally,
"Wherever you go, it'll be interesting to see how long they put up with your bullshit."
My bullshit. Right.
So I packed everything up, crammed as much of it into my car as physically possible, and I grabbed Dutch and moved it all into Sabrina's house. My boxes are taking up a tiny corner, and Mickey, Sabrina's 13 year old daughter, is lending me her room right now. Which is amazing.
Sabrina came back out with me that Tuesday evening so I could grab the rest of my little stuff. Because I was so angry and exhausted, and Jamie would say the right thing at the right time, and I really can't afford a criminal record.
On Wednesday, I picked Jay up, and we piled all the other little peripherals into my car. He ran intereference beautifully, because if he was talking to Jamie, it meant Jamie wasn't talking to me, and I was able to actually get shit done.
My parents showed up a couple of hours later, and we moved all my furniture out to the shop. I gave Jamie back the key, and I'm now staying at Bernie and Sabrina's until I find a place. I saw a few places, but one of them, the bathroom didn't have a sink, and the other was only about 400 square feet, bachelor, which is fucking tiny.
But I ran into Steve at the bar last night, and we got to talking, and between our two budgets, we can comfortably go up to about 1200 utilities in, which isn't terrible. a bit more expensive than I'd like, but I'm going to take a look at a 2 bedroom tomorrow for $875 tomorrow morning. There's no living room, but apparently the kitchen and both bedrooms are faily spacious? We'll see.
Anyway, that's my magnificent sob story. Isn't it awesome?