Most of Friday

I was pretty upset thinking about one guy we know.  He used to help with rides (for money) but I don't call him anymore. 

I just really loathe men who take advantage of desperate women.  He had viewed me as "off limits".  Unfortunately Ron got very drunk one night over a decade ago and told the man he didn't care if the man had sex with me.  So the guy thought I was some sort of slut whore who cheated on Ron.  Even with me explaining (still true) I have only had sex with one man he would say things like "It's only cheating if there's [hair splitting graphic details]" 

Finally gave up on me, I think, but I don't feel comfortable with him.  Especially as he found a new sugar baby and likes to share the most degrading details.  I don't want to hear them.  I feel immensely sorry for this woman.  I don't want to get in a vehicle thinking this guy wants to f*ck me.  I want to get in and think about my destination and my errands. 

I am just done with perverts. 

Actually a sex addict.  But could impact me - I don't want to think I had better bring my stun gun because I might need to fight him off.  And can you imagine talking to the police and he is saying "Her husband gave his permission?"  UGH. 

One of the few things Ron did that I am still truly angry about, years later.  The man had been decent up to that point.  But Ron was obsessed for a while thinking I was cheating with the guy.  He wrongly  thought (Ron's) approval would nullify the exciting forbidden nature of my affair (rolleyes).  No.  You just turned a behaved person into one who was not. 

He has never made physical advances but has said things that made me very uncomfortable.  Staring at my chest a lot, for instance.  I might understand this in a 12-14 year old boy but this is a grown man. 

Alex and Arturo do not make me feel uncomfortable.  They will occasionally ask me how Ron is doing, or the cats, and that is as far as it goes.  Arturo knows I take medication and it is for mental illness but not which.  But I chose to share that. 

Anyway, I got up this morning.  Cleo came out from under "her" couch and rubbed against my ankle as I prepared breakfast.  I took a can of mixed grill and broke it into a couple of sections, put them on plates.  I wrote Cleo's name on one plate and put her medicine in that food.  I put it all down, Cleo's in front of her.  She wanted to eat off her mother's plate but did go back to her own, and ate the part with the medication. 

I'm not going to try petting her for a few days, it has been a busy week.  Trapped, 3 days at the vet, surgery, coming in a home for the first time... It's a lot.  But she rubbed against my ankle. 

Then she went back under the couch, but not very far, and watched me with bright eyes.  The vet had been worried she had an eye problem, I called them and said she was fine. 

They were happy to hear it.  Ron got up.  He had made a trip to the bank.  He didn't want me going by myself. 

Now let's look at this: HOW can he protect me, physically?  Answer is he cannot, in fact probably makes me look more like a victim.  But he said he would take me so I could exchange the money and we would have inventory money for tomorrow.   We cannot just take money out of savings because he does not pay it back.  Save it for emergencies. 

Our ride was due at 9.  He set up in the kitchen about 8:45 and started drinking.  The ride did not arrive for almost an hour and then she had an attitude.  She was rushing him. 

Let me tell you, if you are a paratransit driver had you have a feeble, frail, precarious looking client it is a truly terrible idea to rush him.  Sure enough, he almost fell but I caught him.  Then she got an attitude because he almost fell.  [rolleyes]  I bet she would have shouted at him if he had.  Ron lectured her about the mark of the beast for the next half hour, saying the same things over and over again.  I am sure she was happy to get rid of us. 

She was very ignorant, thought we were postal workers.  Could not understand the concept of contract vendors or how we made our money, thought we sat at home and collected a royalty check.  I told her again and again, we do all the sweat work and we only get whatever is left after paying the bills.  After she finally "got it" she said "I don't see how anyone could live like that". 

And I'm sitting there thinking, if I had taken the bus I would be home by now.  The other client was blind, but one who pretends not to be (I could tell, watching her).  She kept giving really bad directions that sent us back quite a bit.   "Don't take the freeway" "Turn here (5 miles before the destination), oh, sorry, that LOOKED like the turn."  You are BLIND do not rely on your eyes anymore, clearly they don't work.  Rely on street names.  "What street is this?  Go one block and then turn".  When she did THAT we were fine.  Then we got back on the freeway and got to the bank pretty fast. 

We got in and did our transaction.  The bank manager came over, I thanked him for getting the door fixed.  He played "aw shucks" and then acted like we had been the biggest pains in the asses.  We asked them to fix the door maybe 5 times in what, 3 months?  It made me sorry I HADN'T called the ADA people and lit a fire under their asses.  Next time, I will. 

I was Not Happy when he walked away.  Ron called Arturo and he couldn't do it.  He called Alex, who could, but it would be a while.  I sat down on the couch and waited.  Alex arrived and we went out, Ron had a pretty easy time getting in for a change.  We went to McDonald's. 

I had been dealing with an alcoholic all day, bank business, and the horrid transportation issues.  I got a couple of double cheeseburgers, just ketchup, for me.  And I decided to get a plain hamburger for Cleo and Spot.  They asked if I was sure I wanted (no condiments) and I said yes, it is for my cat.  I am sure they had something to say about that inside the store. 

But when I got the food it was perfect.  The fries were terrible so I didn't eat them.  I took the plain burger apart and threw away the bread.  Ron got upset about that until I had him call the vet, and the tech lectured him about carnivore = meat, not bread!  He wouldn't hear it from me but did take it from her.  I tore the burger into bites and spread them out on the wrapper, right next to my foot, while I ate my burgers. 

Spot came over and ate some.  He loved it.  Good to know Spot is a hamburger man.  I'll get him one after his neuter.  Cleo came out pretty quick.  I ignored her as she squatted down and ate one piece after another.  I did talk to her, though.  She and Spot finished off the whole patty, I was impressed.  Cleo is only 3 pounds.  They did a great job, not a speck left. 

Ron, in the meantime, was in the kitchen after yet more vodka.  I told him I was going to bed and he asked me to heat up a TV dinner.  I said I would not stand over him watching him drink until he decided he was "ready". 

If he wanted to eat, he would have to go to bed NOW and then I would bring it to him.  He took a long chug off the bottle before he left.  He barely made it into bed, he almost fell a couple of times but I had a grip on his belt.   And he tells me not to help. 

Once I had him planted I went and heated up a "Backyard BBQ" Banquet TV dinner.  He cannot say enough about these dinners.  I am glad he likes them, they have some protein, a decent amount of vitamins and minerals, and apparently really good flavor.  They don't take forever to heat up and only cost $1.24 each.  I have several in the freezer. 

He also likes the "Banquet Mega Bowl Chicken Fried Steak".  It has chicken fried steak bites, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, and green beans all mixed together.  He can't finish one at a sitting but works on it for a day or two.  I have some of them, too. 

I ate a lot of mashed potatoes growing up, and can't stand them. 

I got him his food (after I let it cool to a safe temperature) and went to bed.  He was quiet and I had a short nap.  I got up and did some cleaning, had a Diet Dew (a little bit of a headache).  Cleo got out and used the box right in front of me, getting comfortable.  I want her feeling safe before I try to handle her.  She is not aggressive but fearful. 

I never checked the mail yesterday, Ron's clock came.  I put it next to him in bed.  My nightgown is supposed to come today, we will see.  It will be nice to throw on before I go take out a bag of cat poop. 

Biscuit indicated he does not want his food on the table anymore, so I set it on the floor.  He very happily ate it.  I just gave Cleo some more food and she was so cute I almost pet her.  She said "no thanks" and went around.  But I will work on her.  I am just hoping I can get her for the stitch removal in a couple of weeks.  I am taking her in for the stitches and Mama cat for boosters.  Mama will be done with shots for a year after that.  Worst case I will use the trap again. 

Ron is calling. 
That's it for now.  I will work on getting the clothes in the washer so I can run a load when my nightgown arrives.