This Old House
Shortly after an unplanned move to Southern California, I found myself without housing. After a brief search on Craigslist, I moved into a big house in a middle-class neighborhood, with one middle-aged lady, SL. The place was BIG, and she’d informed me that she would be searching for two others to fill empty rooms in short order. At the time, I was working a lot, and my evenings were pretty tame since I didn’t yet know anyone.
The first few weeks were uneventful, but then SL found two others to move in, and before I knew it, I was living in a house with three women in their fifties. I was 24. The first woman, AM, was quiet and almost never left her room when home. The second, LA, was a caterer with a semi-trailer full of crap she stored in the garage. One day I came home to find them waiting for me. SL forced us all into the garage while she had me move box after box of equipment in order to “show us something.” It turned out that somehow, magically, she had discovered that a part of her hideous tea-set was missing from its box, behind thousands of pounds of shit in the garage, and she lectured all of us about privacy and propriety, all the while making it obvious that the “us” she referred to was actually me.
A padlock was placed on the garage door, and I figured that was the end of it. But thereafter I found myself under constant scrutiny by the House Hags, as I called them. Either I was too loud upstairs, or I was accused of drinking their milk, using their cookware, leaving doors open, etc. LA even accused me of being in her room, stating that she had a hidden camera as proof! Naturally she refused to produce the footage when I asked to see it. She accused me of using her shower, when I had my own bathroom. SL would chant in her room about me (she was a Wiccan) saying things like “Make Alex leave, make Alex leave” at any time she felt like it.
They changed the locks on the front doors, forcing me to climb the side of the house to my balcony in order to gain entry to my room, muttering vaguely about getting me new keys when I objected, but that never happened. Eventually, they banded together and asked me to move out. I had already been looking for a new place by then and was more than happy to go. When I returned to get my things a few days later, they refused to let me in! I had to come back with a police officer to get my stuff.
I never received my security deposit, which they kept, citing emotional damage from my “threatening presence.”
It appears that some people never grow out of their “mean girl” level of emotional maturity.
Also, judging from their behavior as well as their ages, that might be a good indicator of why they’re alone at their age.
So what did you do that you had to make the “unplanned move” to Southern California?
Seriously… I’m pretty sure this is not the whole story.
they obviously resented you…if they were cool, fun women in their 50s it would have been a bit different.
This just seems…really bizarre…
Ugh…a damage deposit has nothing to do with “emotions.” You’d think at their age they’d be a bit more mature, but I guess not.
A friend of mine does social work for the elderly and he’s noticed similar behavior of people well into their golden years. At one facility they had to deal with little-old-lady cliques all the time – hard to really “break them up” when they’re adults and not 9th graders.
Tronner – It’s hard to break them up because adults like to think they never, ever, EVER act foolishly or that their behaviors are likened unto a two year old.
did u sign a lease? if so u can totally take them to small claims court for the deposit.
This is the second MVWR with a Wiccan chanting “Make OP leave, make OP leave…” A wonderful chant! Unfortunately, “give me a raise, give me a raise, give me a raise, give me a raise” only got me the office next to the bathroom and the oldest computer.
Oh tronner….
@Meshell – That’s so true! I get really annoyed when people talk loudly at the movies, and it’s sometimes hard for me to believe how frequently the culprits are people twice my age (I’m 27). And then they give me this offended look when I ask them (politely…at least, for the first offense) to be quiet, like I’m the rude one.
Howdy, all. I wrote this true tale, and to clarify-
The unplanned move was actually just youthful impulsiveness, and I had a sudden opportunity at a well-known spa as a therapist making a rather handsome wage.
@ Lalah- There is more, to be sure, but it’s mostly small confrontations of a similar type, and little dramas not worth mentioning.
As for the chanting, it was really, really weird. I could hear SL through that floor no matter what she was doing, and I swear she did that ONLY when I was around to hear her.
In all, I’d say it’s a rather classic case of mob mentality and childish clique behavior. They were just really unhappy ladies with male issues who had a convenient victim.
Weirdest few months of my whole life, though.
Well, luckily you can look back at it & see it for what it is & not harbor resentment. At least that’s how it appears.
it really does sound totally weird.
Sounds like the Golden Girls Gone Bad!
“At one facility they had to deal with little-old-lady cliques all the time – hard to really “break them up†when they’re adults and not 9th graders.”
Actually, it’s really easy to break up old ladies, they break a hip if you do so much as look at them wrong.
This is one of my favourites! Love the Wicca and emotional damage parts the best
Psychotic hags.
Three old witches ganged up on a girl… sounds almost like a fairy tale
Actually, the OP is male. (See above.)
What a nightmare of an experience for anyone to go through…