Houston - Flooded with Insanity

Peephole by Finijo

Today we had severe storms and flooding throughout Houston. I probably could have made in to the office at some point, but the forecast called for heavy showers throughout the day and I had the opportunity to work from home, so I did. At first, I thought this was a good thing, but a couple of hours into my telecommuting, I heard La Loca arguing with a man. Then she started screaming, "Help me! Help me!" I opened up the door to see La Loca (sans wig) squaring off with a man, the caregiver for another neighbor (Mary Catherine). The caregiver (who uses a cane) is pointing his cane at La Loca and yelling, "You need to apologize to Mary Catherine." La Loca yelled back at him, "Fuck you!" Caregiver yelled back at her, "You are not going to insult Mary Catherine (a neighbor with MS). You go and apologize." La Loca countered by screaming back over his shoulder and into Mary Catherine's open door, "Mary Catherine, he's a cheater! He's fucking my girlfriend upstairs in number 10." The neighbor/girlfriend La Loca is referring to is Mommy Dearest, who is reported to be off the wagon in a big way - so much for 7 months sobriety and healing the relationship with her son, Nelson (Ha-ha!). The next thing I knew, Caregiver wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and he lamely (think bad leg) tried to force her to go apologize to Mary Catherine. La Loca screamed at me to call 9-1-1. I told Caregiver, "C'mon now, just let her go." Caregiver immediately released his less than vice-like grip and she got away from him, but still kept screaming at me to call 9-1-1.

La Loca Through Peephole by Finijo

The scariest thing about this circus of a situation was seeing La Loca without her wig. OMG! I now know way more than I ever wanted to about her mental condition, specifically that La Loca suffers from trichotillomania. From the look of it, she spends all of her spare time plucking herself bald. The dance macabre between the lame Caregiver and the patchy La Loca is truly one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed. The yelling continued for a while. La Loca called him a "son of a bitch" and a "cheater," and Caregiver called her a "drunk" and a "bitch." In the many, many years I have lived here, we have had people from all walks of life as neighbors, but I don't think we have ever had as much drama, insanity, and stupidity as we currently do.

Mommy Dearest Across the Pool by Finijo

La Loca returned to her apartment to retrieve said wig, then began to pace back and forth from the gate to her door - taking a path directly in front of my door. I could hear the clopping of her heels as she went back and forth, again and again. That's when I got the idea to try shooting a picture through the peephole. There is more artistic expression and rising to the challenge of trying to get the shot, than there is stalker my taking the pictures. They came out pretty good, if you expand them. Shooting through a peephole with a digital camera is a little hit or miss with no peripheral forwarning and only the sound of footsteps to go by, but I managed to get a shot of La Loca and of Mommy Dearest. Before finally retiring to her apartment to presumably pass out, La Loca banged on my door and screamed, "Thanks for nothing, bitch." In spite of her vitriol, I think I would still open the door if she screamed for help - I may leave the chain on, though.