Grain of Sand

I did a Google search for a quote:

"It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe." Robert W. Service

In my head it was "pebble in your shoe", not "grain of sand". I guess neighbors, Chris and John are two grains of sand in my shoes. The thought that I am going to spend the rest of my life living next to and across the courtyard from them is about to drive me insane. Literally.

Long Beach has high rental turn-over. Or it did in the past. Chris and Bill moved into the complex, three or six months after I did. I do not remember when Thomas moved into the complex, diagonally across from me. He is long gone. Bill was evicted. I would have to get out my lease and perhaps be able to figure out how long I have been listening to Chris' inane chatter. Never being able to get a cross breeze by opening front door or windows.

I guess John has been next door for a year now. A year of not being able to go to sleep when I am tired. We had some warm days and I would have loved to open front door to let some of that glorious sunshine into this dark, dreary, cold apartment. Of course, Chris had his door open and already his ringing telephones are getting on my nerves.

It was not as if the phone calls were that bothersome to me, it was remembering a summer of listening to them. From a note: 1:11PM, 1:12, 1:14, 1:16, 1:22, 1:23, 1:25 ~ phone calls, during that time, also talking to Doug, and then Phil at 1:38, then at 1:48, Chris yells "Hey, Johnny...", so add John to the conversations I listened to. That list did not include the rest of the day.

Drifting off to sleep, jarred awake by ringing phone, answering machine voice, hang-up, ring, ring, listen to Jeff leave message and as soon as he finishes, ring, ring. No drifting back to sleep for me. Likely got up and turned on computer. All Summer Long. Starting as early as 5:22AM and as late as midnight. And it seemed John and Chris had spats at midnight every Saturday night, yelling, slamming doors and gate.

So it goes, the mountain ahead, being forced to endure this is too much for me to bear. Wish I could shake them out of my life like grains of sand. Because they have been here this long, no hopes they will be gone. Need to get out of here; do not know how to accomplish that...