In the middle of Glee

August 20, 2013

            We have been in this house of clowns for four days.  The Goat Man’s friend, Mike, has been wonderful for letting us stay.  We have been able to cook and eat food that keeps me from being sick.  Everyday we have applied for work.  I have exhausted all of the nursing options set before me.  Therefore, I continue writing.

            In McDonald’s today The Goat Man sat across the table from me with our Toshiba tablet and applied for five jobs.  I only heard the occasional cuss word under his breath and he only told me a dozen times how much he hates computers.  It is so nice to see him evolve so nicely from a caveman to a modern man.

            Lucy and Sophie are the dogs that run the cottage here.  In the dim light it feels more like a cave.  Lucy is Mike’s dog, so she has her favorite spot on the couch and does her nightly checks to make sure everything is in the same place as it was the night before.

            Sophie is an adopted dog that has taken to The Goat Man.  She is almost as needy as Cleo.  She is a very sweet dog.  It only takes a small movement of the body (usually unintentional) for her to jump on your lap. 

            When Sophie is sitting on one end of the couch she will inch closer and closer to the person sitting on the other side of the couch like a detective in a child’s cartoon.  It is like watching The Pink Panther or Spy vs. Spy.  Da dant da dant ….

            Mike is moving at the end of the month and Sophie will be homeless too, but we cannot take her with us.  Obviously, if we had room for puppies our Cleo would still be here.  We both miss her needy, prissy, and bouncy self.

            Mike’s Daughter Jaime and her boyfriend Vince are here to move in when Mike leaves.  Jaime is always complaining that the boxes are everywhere and that Mike needs to pack now instead of waiting until the last minute.  However, Mike is like an episode of Glee. 

            I mistakenly thought The Goat Man was the master at bouncing thoughts, but it would be a tight race between The Goat Man and Mike.  They both love to talk and they both seem to be men of action.  Just like The Goat Man, Mike, will jump up in the middle of a sentence to go do some action.  The most obvious difference is Mike’s need to break into song.  I wonder if he has a button on the bottom of his foot we don’t know about.

            Mike is a collector.  He has a ton of cool stuff.  He doesn’t have anything I would want, but I have watched American Pickers, I know collectors like that stuff.  Mike keeps jumping up, grabbing a packed box, and unpacking the box to show us his cool stuff.  So far nothing has been repacked.

            Our lives have fallen into mundane.  Each day we look for work.  We are thankful for the bed, kitchen, and a roof over our head; however, the knowledge that we are out of money, gas, and jobs is overwhelming.  I feel almost numb inside.

            This is not the mundane we wish for.  It feels like we are on death row.  I spend time wondering what my last meal would be.  The only thing I know for sure is that it will not be pickle bologna.  I believe I may be living longer now because my insides have been pickled.

            If I was on death row I think I would like to be facing the guillotine.  I like the old world appeal.  Didn’t Joan of Arc meet the guillotine? I just want to be able to look back at my dead body and hear the Queen of Hearts yell, “off with their heads!”  I think that would be a surreal realization and an experience not everyone has the opportunity to have.  But that is just my wild imagination coming out.

            I have four days left on my medications and expect any day they will repossess the truck.  The Goat Man seems more relaxed than he has since this began.  It is amazing what you can get use to.  We do not have a plan.  We have had many discussions about what to do, but we have no answers.  Any plan would be welcome.

            I wonder what will happen to us when we are on foot.  I have no problem walking to where we need to go, but The Goat Man has limited walking on his bionic leg.  He should be collecting disability right now, but his luck is worse than bad luck.  I hate to see him hurt himself more just to take care of me, but he is determined.

            To him not taking care of his family is worse than breaking the Ten Commandments.  How can I not love him for wanting so badly to be my man and take care of me?  But how do I let him put the simple ability to walk in jeopardy?  I am stuck between “you do what you gotta do” and “I love you.”  I hate the rock and a hard place dilemma.