GRATITUDE

There's probably no one reading this who pays less for housing than I do.  And, I should be grateful, but it's hard - because my house is not really mine.  I can't say who comes and goes.  My landlord doesn't let me forget that, either.  Every week, they schedule 'visitors' for me;  Causing me to have to rearrange my personal life and schedule around THEM.  


This week, it's supposedly gonna be energy conservationists from the City of Rockville.  And, they'll be here I'm told either today or tomorrow - between the hours of 8am and 5pm.  So, unless I want to have strangers roaming through my house un-escorted and unsupervised (which I don't), I must put my life on hold for two, whole days.


Last week, it was HVAC representatives come to clean out my air ducts.  It was a major operation, involving flying dust and who knows what else airborne during the process.  Since my son has asthma, I expressed concern to my landlord.  Did he care? NO.


Oh, the week preceding were another set of people for HVAC cleaning.  Another major operation.  Another risk to my sons health.  Another apathetic response.


Then there was Orkin.  Before that was a housing inspection where I had two guys come in and basically toss my bedroom looking for bed bugs like I was a prisoner in a jail cell.


Before that?  HUD sent housing inspectors to make sure we were keeping our homes clean.  Every week it's something or someone else.  And, we don't have any choice but to let them have full run of our homes, our lives, our schedules, because - to refuse them would be a violation of our lease.  God forbid WE should violate OUR lease !


I hate the visitors.  I feel like how the Jews must have felt during Nazi Germany;  When the Gestapo would come banging on their doors, and go through their homes looking for any evidence of the harboring of Jews, and in general just scare and harass people.


And, I wonder WHY?  Why can't they just leave us alone, give us space and respect?!  Is it because we're poor?  Does that then imply that we're less than, less deserving of respect than _______ (fill-in-the-blank) others?  More prone to _______(fill-in-the-blank) ... WHAT?!?!


I don't know what they're looking for, but I sure hope they find it soon, and leave me the hell alone.