I'm Baaaaaack!

I've been away for a few days. Not away as in out having a great time on some tropical beach or as in on a business trip somewhere. Away as in away from my normal day to day activities and living totally in my head (it's crowded in there!). I guess my brain couldn't stand the cramped quarters any longer so it kicked me out on my butt last night. So here I am, back to my normal (well, maybe not normal...) self. Ready to create art again, ready to blog and live and have fun.

The away mode was caused by my crazy assed neighbor. The one who I've long suspected belongs in a well padded room being spoon fed gruel. The one who over the past 5 months has thoroughly proved to me that, yes, she DOES indeed need to be in a well padded room away from us "normal" folks.

Did you ever have someone verbally attack you when you're thanking them for something? When thanking them is the last thing in the world you want to do because they suck and have treated you horribly for months? But being "the better person" you decide "OK, it's polite to say thank you so I will even though I'd rather have root canal without Novocaine than do it." Well, if you ever, and I mean ever, have one of those moments forget the thank you and go for the root canal. Seriously.

A week or so ago I didn't make it down to the bus stop in time. One of my nice neighbors, who I just happened to grow up with and totally trust, is always there and my son always jumps in his truck for a ride whether I'm there or not. So, I wasn't worried when I didn't get there in time because chances were the little guy would just jump in the back of the truck as usual and I would've walked down to the bus stop for nothing. Plus, I've been told a gazillion times to just stay home and not bother walking down in the cold because he's just going to jump in the back of the truck anyway. Well, wouldn't you know it my nice neighbor wasn't there this particular day. Only the crazy assed neighbor was.

She did give my boy a ride, shocking me completely. But, when he came in he was ranting and raving that it was the WORST experience of his life, how he hated ever minute of it (Every second is more like it. The ride is all of 300 feet at most), but he didn't elaborate further so I figured he was just being overly dramatic. I was wrong.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week. I'm at the bus stop. Crazy and Nice are at the bus stop and we're all just hanging, waiting for the kids. Crazy and I don't speak. Haven't for months, so the conversation is me & Nice, Crazy & Nice but never me & Crazy. It's kind of like a bizarre dance the way our daily conversations go. But that is just Fine by me, I don't want to talk to Crazy anyway.

The kids get off the bus and, as per the usual, jump in the back of Nice's truck. This is when I go for the Thank You instead of the root canal. The conversation, if you can call it that and really, you can't, goes like this:

Me: Thanks for giving him a ride home the other day.

Crazy (at top of lungs): I only did it because I made him promise not to pick on my daughter any more!!!!

ME (calmly): Excuse Me?

Crazy (at top of lungs): I only did it because I made him promise not to pick on my daughter any more!!!!

Me (still calm): They pick on each other.

Crazy (still at top of lungs): No! No! She NEVER picks on anyone, but he is NASTY, just Nasty! And YOU are evil!!! (jumps in car and drives off)

At this point I'm still stuck on her saying she made him make a promise to her before she even let him in the car. What kind of adult does that to a kid? You either give him a ride or you don't. You don't put conditions on it. A seven year old doesn't want to be left at the bus stop or walk home alone. Especially since we all have an unspoken rule that if one of us isn't at the bus stop we'll make sure the child of that person gets home safely. That's how it's been since the kids started school. A seven year old shouldn't have to play let's make a deal to get a ride with someone he's known for 4 years. An adult has NO BUSINESS acting out her issues with a child. You have a problem with a kid, call the parent. Don't terrorize the child.

Funny thing is, just two days before she gave him a ride all the other kids got off the bus telling me how her daughter, yes her PERFECT daughter, picks on my boy EVERY SINGLE DAY. And I believe it because I have seen with my own eyes how she deliberately provokes the other kids until they retaliate. She does it just so she can run home crying that so and so did this to me. Oh, boo hoo, hoo. We all know that. We've all seen it many times.

But she'll never see that because her kids never, ever do a damn thing wrong. She has the fortune of raising the only two perfect children in the world. Isn't that special......

Did I want to make rip her face off? Oh yeah. You have someone yell in your face that your kid is nasty, when in reality he isn't (You don't have to take my word for it. Just ask anyone who knows him. Anyone but crazy that is.) and you will turn into a Lioness. Feral, raging and wanting to rip something or someone apart. And knowing that same person scared your child, truly scared him, with her weird behavior will make you even more feral.

So that's why I've been "away" this week. Living in my head, totally stunned that someone would do that to a kid. Totally pissed off and wishing I could have my say. But it isn't worth it. Isn't worth my time or my energy. Because there is no talking to this woman. She yells and she runs. That's her M.O. She's done it to me before. And come to find out, to many others before too. There are lots of parents in this town who've seen the craziness, who've had their kids treated badly, had their kids cornered and yelled at, or taunted. All the while she proclaims the innocence of hers. Yeah, it's the rest of the town that's evil. Kind of like Salem's Lot but without the fangs I guess.