I Scream, You Scream

We all scream, for something ( or at someone). Mine was getting to be a little ( well, a lot ) out of control. It was controlling me. I remember the first break down I had living at The Wilmont. I had been there a few months and things had been relatively uneventful. One afternoon someone was moving into the unit across the hall from mine. I could tell by the banging up and down the stair well, and the way their voices carried through the hall they weren't only going to be loud, they were going to be invasive. Then, another person moved in with her young son right next to mine unit. She was a very young mother with no parenting skills, a taste of big screen TV's, fried food, and big, black men. In both cases, I think alcohol played a big role in a lot of episodes where the next morning they swore to god, " I don't know what she talkin about".

The couple residing in Apt I had lived in the building before and were from the Tacoma. They had both been in trouble and had done some kind of jail time (prison/ local?). They had a history of corrupt and immoral behavior which seemed all too obvious to everyone except Dave. He saw only people who need a chance and were probably going to be good renters because they could afford an eviction on their record; he didn't have to live with them. They original lived in a unit on the first floor near the main door and really wanted that apartment back. And the reason why: they were dealing drugs late into the night. For awhile, I dealt with door bell buzzer that when pushed from the outside didn't only ring the intended unit but was audible throughout the building. This one time, it didn't stop there. I can't remember the details clearly, I only have the vivid memory of laying in bed half asleep, hoping whatever was occurring outside my door would soon dissipate. But it kept on escalating. It went from a slamming door, to yelling and stomping down the stairs, to standing on the front stoop yelling at who knows whom. At this point I snapped. I remember laying there repeating ignore, ignore, ignore then frustration taking over. I just couldn't lay there and allow whoever this was to carry on in such a manner so I decided to make it worst.

I grabbed my phone, walked out the apartment slamming the door behind me ( I got good at slamming that door and throwing shoes at my wall when people chose to ignore me after asking them to turn down their music. After a while folks were down right scared of me), I stomped down the stairs, and yelled at whoever this was to shut the good damn, fuck up. Initially, their reaction was one of shock. Then the woman charged me with her fist ( a lame attempt to scare me off). At this point, I wasn't backing down. I stood there for a second before I presented my phone and proceeded to punch in 911. They shit. Last thing in the world these people wanted to do was to deal with the police. They probably had been drinking ( and smoking) and would be in violation of their probation if caught. However, my phone was a hand held and out of reach of its dock so the call never went through but the attempt was a buzz kill. As we all went back up the stairs, Tovah kept yelling and threatening I forget what, then we each disappeared into our separate realities. Back in bed some time later, I heard the doorbell ring again. Then, someone coming up the stairs, then a knock at my door. It wasn't Dave.

The police had responded to the 911 call. If the phone goes dead after 911 is called, the police are obligated to respond. They had first talked to the person who let them in the front door who sent them to my apartment. After asking who it was, I opened the door. I was wearing these flannel jammies with hearts on them that my sister gave to me and wasn't really looking like the a typical hilltop terrorist by the expression on their faces ( it was like, say what?). They asked if I had placed the call into 911 and I explained my side of the story and said, I suspected drugs. They listened, said my story made sense, and that they had trouble with drug dealer in the building before, and left. Months later, Charles was busted while sitting his van in the alley beside the complex. I think from that call the police started watching the building for suspicious activity... the building was full of them.