Rainy season is creeping up. So far I’ve seen maybe 2 drops hit the sidewalk after hours of dark clouds and rumbling thunder. The early mornings still start with a hazy yellow ball behind me like something out of a coffee commercial. By afternoon, it gets dark and there’s a bit of sound and fury but nothing comes down to make us run for cover.
We were back to work as scheduled after the impromptu paid break of a week and we were all glad to be back. For the first week, the guards and another man were waiting for everyone at the gate with a spray bottle of hand sanitizer. Of course that could never be enough to stop the spread of flu if there was any in our midst but I liked the idea and it was a good reminder for everyone not to do anything stupid like wipe their eyes. Only two days at the grind and it was the weekend.
A little miracle happened that Saturday. The old Toshiba came back to life. Figuring it was worth one more try, I pre-cooled the bedroom with the air conditioner while I emptied half a can of compressed air into every vent and opening. It was a suspenseful time waiting for the recovery disk to do the job. It was at 6% for the longest time. I kept waiting for it to overheat and shut down, feeling the air vent in the back. Whenever I thought it was getting dangerously hot, I gave it another blast of compressed air to supplement the hard working fans. I was going nuts when the uploading made it as far as 70%. By 98% I could only think how badly it would suck if it shut off at that point. But it didn’t. Ta-dah! It works better than it has in months. The screen is bright again so some of the problems were virus related and I was right to restore the system except for the snag that it was too worn out to handle the trauma. I don’t think I’ll ever try that again. I love this little machine. It might even survive to visit a few more countries.
Two hours later someone knocked on my door to install an air-conditioner. Wow. Some days. The previous Saturday, I had waited indoors all day because the apartment complex manager had told me the day before that one was coming. It didn’t. I even went to the office to ask about it mid-day, thinking plans change and I was told just one hour more. How about just one week more. I would never say no to an air conditioner. This apartment came with three but only one works and it’s not the one in the living room where I spend most of my time.
It wasn’t for the living room. It was for the spare bedroom I’ve been using to store some of the excess furniture that came with it. The complex handyman was told to make a good fit with concrete but he couldn’t do that for some reason or another and jammed it in place with some old rotten tiles, leaving enough space for small and not so small animals to crawl into the apartment at will. I like to keep that door closed now.
While checking out the situation, I found a baby bird in a nest right outside the window on the cage built for the air conditioner. There was no sign of its mother. Probably out and about collecting food but I wondered if it hadn’t been frightened off after all the noise and commotion, never to return. I took a peek next morning to see if it was still alive. And the next. It was eating somehow. Most days I took a picture. These different pictures were all taken within five days. It’s quite startling how fast it grew. By the latest picture, it was a teenager and not as cute anymore.
There would have been more pictures but I accidentally locked myself out of the room. That wasn’t a huge problem until I locked myself out of the other bedroom, the one I sleep in, two nights later. I was up past my bedtime and more than ready for a good sleep. I flipped on the air conditioner and turned on my bedside computer (the restored Toshiba) to enjoy an ebook on my way down and went to brush my teeth. I couldn’t get back in. I was so frustrated. I could hear that cool refreshing machine chugging away but I couldn’t get in. I tried to break in but it was too big a job for my limited skills. A solid door frame prevents anyone sliding a comb or a plastic card. It was insane. This is insane. The door is in the apartment. Who needs that kind of security when they’re already behind locked doors? Was it a bedroom or a Panic Room. I probably scared the tenants above me with my primal scream of rage. I lost if for a bit. I tried kicking the knob, missed and put a small hole in the door I’ll have to pay for.
I finally went to sleep on the coach, listening to the not so distant sound of artificially cool air.
When I asked for keys at the office next day on my lunch break, I was told they didn’t have any. There are three doors in my apartment with the kind of locks that can be absentmindedly and carelessly locked, including the bathroom and there aren’t any keys.
“ But my clothes are in there. My air conditioning is running non-stop. I think my rent money is in there.”
“I will call a locksmith.”
A guy on a scooter turned up in ten minutes with a skeleton. First he had a con-fab with the manager and then came over to wiggle a skeleton key for two minutes. 150 pesos. Good money for two minutes work.
I want to change apartments soon. I think the landlord was at least partly responsible for the situation. Keep in mind, no mention had ever been made about this lack of keys problem or the danger of getting locking out.
As it turns out, my apartment has been responsible for my acid toes. I finally went to the medico here on campus between classes and he said it was probably my shower. Hmm. I’ve had this problem for 4 months and I’ve lived here for 4 and half. Yep. There is no fan or ventilation of any kind in my bathroom. Unless I take it into the living room, I can only use a towel for one shower before it smells bad. There was black mould in that shower when I moved in here and it comes back way too frequently. The medico gave me pills and some cream that has already done wonders. He also recommended plastic shoes for the bathroom. I want another apartment.
I missed some photos of my baby bird. By the time I got in that room again, it had already learned to fly. I haven`t seen it since but I think it still hangs out. I took a peek first thing on getting my door unlocked and it looked like a fully grown adult. Good thing. During the teenage days, when it was looking kind of degenerate and scruffy, I wondered if it wasn`t in fact some bird of prey.
