Here we go, Anthony-dear.
My first day back this term, I was pulled from my Business Math class for a moment to be asked by someone from the office if I would be willing to allow another student to carpool with me. And yeah, my first reaction was "oh god someone I don't KNOW?" because I'm an antisocial fucker, etc. I did say yes, because I was just in the same situation before my parents said to hell with it and decided to drive me to/from school and it would be damn hypocritical of me not to.
It was only supposed to be Thursday and (when we have school) Friday evenings. After the first time the Student (who is a woman and I think a few years younger than my mum, just to give an image) drove home with us, she asked if it would be a big deal if we could just take her all the time. The other person that takes her was a smoker and apparently smokes while driving and yay, smokey car smell. So I agreed (this is all with the parents' permission, of course) and we begin.
The woman drives me mad. She was pleasant at first, nice enough. She's rather religious and brings it up a lot, which makes me kind of uncomfortable but it's usually in personal references (I pray to God that I manage to pass and stay in school, etc) so I'm hardly going to begrudge her that. As long as no one tries to convert me, I'm fine.
But she's paranoid. She was clinically depressed for a few years after she got divorced and such and is convinced that someone keeps getting into her apartment to do tiny little things that only the person who lived there would realize something is amiss. She was convinced it was just a side-effect of her depression but is now suspicious. I'm not discrediting that because we've all read about the psychos that do this exact sort of thing: little incidents over long periods of time, but she's telling US (my father and I) this and we're just "okay, then you talk to your landlord, ask to get the locks changed if you can, barricade the door while you're there" because we just DO that sort of thing. You know I always have some sort of solution, whether you meant to ask for one or not. It's just that we haven't even known her a MONTH and she's telling us this sort of thing (at seven in the morning when we're both dead tired).
She's also on welfare. That's how she's coming to school. Nothing wrong with welfare but she takes it too far! It was little gripes at first and I just go "yes, of course *offers comfort*" and secretly saying to just GET OVER IT because I am such an optimist it's not even funny sometimes. I do look on the brightside, and after a gripe and moan I lighten up.
Today I was chilling in the library with my headphones and she's at the desk in front of me. She leaves, comes back and asks what rooms we're allowed to go work/play on the comps. The main one was closed that period for testing and it's the only one I use, so hell if I know. I shrug, she says that she'll go to the office and ask, and I say 'okay' and go back to my Time magazine. Of course she starts grumbling about how she's got work to do that's due Friday and she wont be able to get it done (she doesn't have a computer). Understandable, life sucks, go fix it. She's just going out the door and exclaims rather dramatically "it's WONDERFUL being poor" and goes. I was just...that twitched me. I think part of it is because I hate incessant whining? Also, I think she has an mp3 player or a portable radio or something. She had headphones on as well and I saw this tiny, palm-sized...thing. I don't know tech.
So whatever it is, it prolly cost money. She has nice clothes (which my MedTerm teacher sings the praises of Goodwill for nice clothes so I'll go with that). And I'm just thinking, and I'm sorry if it's ignorant of me, that she should just SAVE UP because honestly? A basic computer does NOT cost much these days. At the very least she could talk to her teacher and explain and ask if she could reserve her a comp in some room or whatever. That's what I'd be doing, not angsting about my lack of finances.
But, oh, here's the kicker, and if you're all not sufficiently with me yet you will be.
We (student, father, me) are driving to school I think this last Monday. Radio's on, news comes on. Starts talking about some guy that is going to be in jail for ages because he's been raping this girl for three years since she was 14! From the back seat?
"Huh, my church just married me to him!"
In a joking well-aint-that-somethin tone. Fucking casual.
Now my father and I don't say a damn word. I don't know what he's thinking, but I've got WTF running through my head. And denial, because she did NOT just say what I think she said. Then? Then she doesn't even shut up about it. She tells us simply that he had manipulated her and told her that "in the eyes of God we're already married" and some such and I don't even remember how old she said she was.
Now, if you'll excuse me, this is my capslock moment.
OH MY FUCKING GOD YOU DO *NOT* TELL PEOPLE THAT! NONE OF IT! NOT YOUR PARANOIA, NOT YOUR ANGSTY CHILDHOOD NO MATTER HOW HONESTLY FUCKED UP IT WAS, AND NOT THAT YOU WERE FUCKING RAPED! YOU HAD A THERAPIST, I'M SURE, GO BACK TO THEM! I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT SORT OF SHIT AND I DON'T CARE HOW SELFISH IT IS! YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND, I DO NOT KNOW YOU, I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THESE PERSONAL THINGS THAT I CAN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING ABOUT! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU SAY TO THAT? HONESTLY! IT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS AND I DO NOT WANT IT TO BE MY BUSINESS! I JUST WANT TO DRIVE TO AND FROM SCHOOL IN *SILENCE* AND BE LEFT TO DEAL *ALONE* WITH MY OWN PROBLEMS! I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE IT. WHO TELLS PEOPLE STUFF LIKE THAT?! IT MAKES ME SICK TO EVEN THINK ABOUT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF IT AND I DON'T OWE HER A DAMN THING TO *HAVE* TO LISTEN TO IT! THAT IS JUST...NO. FUCKING NO!
It was only supposed to be Thursday and (when we have school) Friday evenings. After the first time the Student (who is a woman and I think a few years younger than my mum, just to give an image) drove home with us, she asked if it would be a big deal if we could just take her all the time. The other person that takes her was a smoker and apparently smokes while driving and yay, smokey car smell. So I agreed (this is all with the parents' permission, of course) and we begin.
The woman drives me mad. She was pleasant at first, nice enough. She's rather religious and brings it up a lot, which makes me kind of uncomfortable but it's usually in personal references (I pray to God that I manage to pass and stay in school, etc) so I'm hardly going to begrudge her that. As long as no one tries to convert me, I'm fine.
But she's paranoid. She was clinically depressed for a few years after she got divorced and such and is convinced that someone keeps getting into her apartment to do tiny little things that only the person who lived there would realize something is amiss. She was convinced it was just a side-effect of her depression but is now suspicious. I'm not discrediting that because we've all read about the psychos that do this exact sort of thing: little incidents over long periods of time, but she's telling US (my father and I) this and we're just "okay, then you talk to your landlord, ask to get the locks changed if you can, barricade the door while you're there" because we just DO that sort of thing. You know I always have some sort of solution, whether you meant to ask for one or not. It's just that we haven't even known her a MONTH and she's telling us this sort of thing (at seven in the morning when we're both dead tired).
She's also on welfare. That's how she's coming to school. Nothing wrong with welfare but she takes it too far! It was little gripes at first and I just go "yes, of course *offers comfort*" and secretly saying to just GET OVER IT because I am such an optimist it's not even funny sometimes. I do look on the brightside, and after a gripe and moan I lighten up.
Today I was chilling in the library with my headphones and she's at the desk in front of me. She leaves, comes back and asks what rooms we're allowed to go work/play on the comps. The main one was closed that period for testing and it's the only one I use, so hell if I know. I shrug, she says that she'll go to the office and ask, and I say 'okay' and go back to my Time magazine. Of course she starts grumbling about how she's got work to do that's due Friday and she wont be able to get it done (she doesn't have a computer). Understandable, life sucks, go fix it. She's just going out the door and exclaims rather dramatically "it's WONDERFUL being poor" and goes. I was just...that twitched me. I think part of it is because I hate incessant whining? Also, I think she has an mp3 player or a portable radio or something. She had headphones on as well and I saw this tiny, palm-sized...thing. I don't know tech.
So whatever it is, it prolly cost money. She has nice clothes (which my MedTerm teacher sings the praises of Goodwill for nice clothes so I'll go with that). And I'm just thinking, and I'm sorry if it's ignorant of me, that she should just SAVE UP because honestly? A basic computer does NOT cost much these days. At the very least she could talk to her teacher and explain and ask if she could reserve her a comp in some room or whatever. That's what I'd be doing, not angsting about my lack of finances.
But, oh, here's the kicker, and if you're all not sufficiently with me yet you will be.
We (student, father, me) are driving to school I think this last Monday. Radio's on, news comes on. Starts talking about some guy that is going to be in jail for ages because he's been raping this girl for three years since she was 14! From the back seat?
"Huh, my church just married me to him!"
In a joking well-aint-that-somethin tone. Fucking casual.
Now my father and I don't say a damn word. I don't know what he's thinking, but I've got WTF running through my head. And denial, because she did NOT just say what I think she said. Then? Then she doesn't even shut up about it. She tells us simply that he had manipulated her and told her that "in the eyes of God we're already married" and some such and I don't even remember how old she said she was.
Now, if you'll excuse me, this is my capslock moment.
OH MY FUCKING GOD YOU DO *NOT* TELL PEOPLE THAT! NONE OF IT! NOT YOUR PARANOIA, NOT YOUR ANGSTY CHILDHOOD NO MATTER HOW HONESTLY FUCKED UP IT WAS, AND NOT THAT YOU WERE FUCKING RAPED! YOU HAD A THERAPIST, I'M SURE, GO BACK TO THEM! I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THAT SORT OF SHIT AND I DON'T CARE HOW SELFISH IT IS! YOU ARE NOT MY FRIEND, I DO NOT KNOW YOU, I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR THESE PERSONAL THINGS THAT I CAN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING ABOUT! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU SAY TO THAT? HONESTLY! IT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS AND I DO NOT WANT IT TO BE MY BUSINESS! I JUST WANT TO DRIVE TO AND FROM SCHOOL IN *SILENCE* AND BE LEFT TO DEAL *ALONE* WITH MY OWN PROBLEMS! I CANNOT FUCKING BELIEVE IT. WHO TELLS PEOPLE STUFF LIKE THAT?! IT MAKES ME SICK TO EVEN THINK ABOUT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY OF IT AND I DON'T OWE HER A DAMN THING TO *HAVE* TO LISTEN TO IT! THAT IS JUST...NO. FUCKING NO!