The story of Anna
13.04.2012
After living with Eric, I came to the relative calm of Anna's house. Her real name is Amneh, and she lives just behind the Ikea. So here is a nice situation for me. Free apartment for basically just conversing with people, helping with homework.
Of course, as always, there's a catch. Actually many catches: <ul><li>There are three teens/20-somethings also living in the house. </li><li>Islamic rules dictate that I cannot let any boys sleep over.</li><li>Islamic rules also dictate that I cannot drink outside of my room. Anna disagrees with the consumption of alcohol in her home, but she says it's OK as long as she "doesn't see it".</li><li>I soon begin paying rent anyway, because I realize that I am never there, and do not in fact help Anna with her homework at all. </li></ul>Anna and I discussed all of these things before I moved in. I thought that I had understood and we had agreed on them.
However, one fateful night, Karl came over and we each had two drinks and watched a movie until 11 p.m. There might have been some making out, but nothing obnoxious, OK boys and girls? Karl went home before midnight, as his Cinderella-like habits dictate.
The next day, I came home from work and Anna says, "I have to talk to you". She began rambling on and on about how her "heart hurts" and I "can't pay her enough money" to do this in her house and how she feels "so guilty" that I am doing all of these terrible things in her home.
OK, so I'm sorry, I didn't realize, I won't do it anymore.
I mention that her daughters had boys over when she wasn't home and I didn't know that there was a "no boy" policy. Then, she gets even angrier and I think she thinks I'm making it up. She demands that I tell her who these boys were and which daughter brought them home!
Honestly, I can't remember, that's how unimportant bringing a boy over is to me. She tells me she will ask her daughter and eyes me suspiciously.
Then she goes on and on about how I do not wash the dishes properly, and how I need to get my own dishes, because "I am making her children sick" with my disgusting habits.
I had just come home from an overnight shift and as usual, I'm insanely tired and don't want to have a discussion about anything, let alone how I am the spawn of satan and will go to hell for all of my misdeeds against Allah and her pristine family life. Anna has been married at least six times, I will remind you.
OK, I'll bring my own dishes, and I will wash them myself and keep them in my own bedroom, Anna.
At this point, I begin making plans to move in with Karl. Of course he thinks it's a great idea, and i tell Anna I'm moving out on May 1.
After this point, everything starts to go downhill. My things go missing, people start eating all my food, the girls are ignoring me, especially Yasmine, so I'm assuming it was her that I got in trouble with all my "blabbing".
I even find some crazy disgusting dishes in the drawers and cupboards, leading me to think that I might be slowly chased out of the house? Perhaps I am being set up by Yasmine? I have no idea.
Another day sometime later, Anna asks me if I could please "tell her whenever I go downstairs", because her sister's stuff is down there and she doesn't know what happens to it. I don't know, something got lost in translation. Downstairs is where I do my laundry once a week, by the way.
It all sort of comes together for me, one Saturday morning. Again, I am tired after a long night shift. I rode my bike home and attempted to park it under the car port because it is starting to rain. I do not want to get my fancy bike wet and rusty. Prior to this, I had been noticing that the van is parking closer and closer, in such a way that I am finding it harder and harder to park my bike under the car port anymore. When I come home on this particular Saturday morning, I find a giant wall of tires impeding my way. There is no way I can fit my bike in there anymore.
I am sad. Why would anyone want to do this? Do they have something against me, or against bicycles? I'm hardly ever there, so I don't know why they would have anything against me, and my bicycle never did anything to anyone, so I don't know what they might have against my bicycle.
I must leave now eight months after moving in with Eric and four months after moving in with Anna. Now, I am going to have a new house, back in my old South Keys neighbourhood. I just hope there are no problems at Karl's place. At this point in time, it is kind of already looking like a disaster... Stay tuned for more drama, I'm sure.
