Life on Jacarandas

My sleazy landlord just came by to collect the rent. He came by the other day, but I put him off even though I had the money. He hasn't paid the water bill for October or December and we haven't had light in the hallway for a month or two...again. A few weeks ago I ended up paying $100 USD to put gas in the communal tank so we'd have hot water and gas to cook with.

The conversation turned to the guy I'd recently been seeing and I told him that was done, he drank too much. Since we were on the topic of nutty neighbors, I thought it was a good time to mention @merica (she used to live across the street, across the hall from the guy I briefly dated). I showed him photos and he knew exactly who she was. Said she was a dancer, that her boyfriend beat her up, and he's a drug addict. I just listened...I like to take it all in. So I told him how she'd threatened me and slapped me in the face before. He said he'd lend me his gun and I could shoot her in the foot and then she wouldn't bother me anymore.

I have to laugh at such a thing. At the fact that he's not joking and that's how he thinks I should handle the situation. Because if you don't laugh, it might all seem a bit scary, right?

He finally has a regular cellphone. He didn't have one before because he was afraid people would try to track him and kill him like they tried to with his brother. I don't know what's changed now. Anyway, he gave me the number and said if I have any more problems with @merica to give him a call.

This is life on Jacarandas.