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~~~ Still Quarantined ~~~
OMG you guys, my move was a freaking NIGHTMARE! Even I couldn't have written or predicted all of the utter BS that went down. It's now been 2 weeks, and the crap still isn't over. It was literally unreal amounts of complete and utter bull shit! And it all started the day before we moved when we went to pick up the moving truck. I'm going to try to write this all out, but it's A LOT! I'll post my nightmare at the end of this chapter. Let me know what you all think. And feel free to laugh, because I am! I am so sorry that it's been over two weeks since my last update, but when you read the BS that we've been through lately, you'll understand. I left some smaller incidents out, but all the big stuff is there. It's been a literal shit show! LOL
Please, if you weren't taking this virus serious before, I urge you to do so now. Please follow the health dept guidelines, and practice social distancing, and for the love of all that is good, please PLEASE WEAR A MASK when you go out in public! If you aren't already, please PLEASE take covid seriously! Be smart, be respectful, and wear a mask. The crap that is going around right now is really nasty! I am completely miserable, and even though we don't think that I have Covid, there is always a chance, and I would never wish this illness on any of you.
Thank you everyone who has posted a review for me to read! I have been cracking up reading them lately. Thank you so much! You guys really keep me going. I really look forward to reading every single one of them. I've even responded to a few, so check your messages!
"Hey, how was your trip?" Emily asked, walking into Rory's bedroom Wednesday evening, to check on her granddaughter.
"It was amazing!" Rory smiled. "It was exactly what I needed. I have pictures if you'd like to see them."
"I would love to!"
"It was so great Grandma! Have you been to the Statue of Liberty before?"
"Not for a very long time." Emily answered as she sat down next to Rory on the bed.
"You should go with us next time. We want to go back after Ayribella is born, and hike the stairs up to the crown. Because I was wheelchair bound, we could only go up to the pedestal observation deck. But the city looked so pretty even from just that high up. I can only imagine what the view is like from the very top."
"I've never been to the very top either."
"You definitely need to go with us then. It was so great to be out in the sun today. The weather was completely perfect! Just being out there felt wonderful! It was perfectly warm with a nice breeze. It just felt good to be outside." Rory told her, smiling at the memory of standing outside on observation deck of the Statue of Liberty, looking out over the water toward New York city. The sun had been shining brightly in the sky, and it had been a beautiful spring day. After being stuck on bed rest for weeks, it had felt so relaxing to be outside in the fresh air. Rory had enjoyed watching her sisters take in the sights of New York, snapping pictures throughout their adventure. She was having a great time hanging out with them during spring break. Sister time was exactly what she needed. Growing up as an only child, Rory had no idea what it was like to have someone there with her who actually understood her life, other than Logan. Having a sister to hang out with and talk to was all new to her, but she was really enjoying it. She was finally beginning to understand the bond that Logan had with his own sister.
"Where all did you go today?"
"We started the day with a visit to Paris to check on the baby, then went to brunch in the city at this amazing French bistro. The food was so good! Then we went over to the 9/11 museum for a while, which was really nice."
"Was it uncomfortable for you at all? When your Grandfather and I went, it was just a little bit uncomfortable. Like this eerie unsettling feeling. You know that you are perfectly safe, but it just has a way of bringing you back to that day, and how rattling it was."
"Yes! That is exactly what it was like! I couldn't figure out what that odd feeling was that I was feeling. I mentioned it to Logan, and we just couldn't pin point it. It was just strange. But that is exactly what it was. It just took you right back to that moment."
"That was such an odd day. Your grandfather was supposed to head out on business that morning, but then his flight was canceled, and he came back home."
"I never knew that."
"Had he been on an earlier flight, he would have been stranded out of town for several days. One of the men in his office was stranded in Nebraska for over a week because he couldn't get a flight back home, and all the car rentals were taken. His wife finally had to drive out to pick him up, and drive him back home."
"Wow, that's crazy!"
"Richard knew a man on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. It was very devastating."
"I had no idea."
"He doesn't like to talk about it. They weren't close, but it was a still a tough loss."
"Wow, poor Grandpa." Rory said softly.
"How did your sisters like it? Gigi wasn't even born when it happened, and April was just a baby."
"They learned about it in school, and we talked about it today. Where Logan and I both were when it happened. Logan was overseas on a trip with some friends, unable to get home for two weeks. Even having a private jet, they couldn't fly. He said that even for as much fun as they had all been having, it was a somber end to the carefree leisure. Everyone just hung around the hotel, not feeling up to doing anything. They all just wanted to go back home, but couldn't."
"Where was he?"
"Greece. He had gone with Collin, Finn, and the crew. It was one of those typical drunken college frat boy trips. There were like 10 or 15 people in their group, and it was one huge party, until it just wasn't. Logan said they had been at the Santorini International Music Festival, and all of a sudden, everyone's phones started ringing, with their parents calling. Logan said that his parents never called him when he was on one of those trips, but all of a sudden, everyone's phones started going crazy. Logan said that as soon as they found out what was going on, everyone wanted to go home, but couldn't. They were stuck for two weeks. They couldn't even enjoy themselves because they were so worried about when they would be able to go home. Then, even when they did finally get to leave, the only thing that really made the trip home more bearable was that they were flying privately and had known their pilot for years. But he said it was still pretty uncomfortable."
"Wow, I can't even imagine." Emily commented.
"I know, me either. Mom pulled me out of school that morning. She didn't want me away from her for the rest of that week. Logan said that when he was finally able to get home, both Shira and Honor were at the airport waiting for him, which never happened."
"I imagine they were worried sick."
"I would have been too. That week was so terrifyingly weird."
"Had you guys ever talked about it before?"
"No. Amazingly enough, it never came up."
"It's kind of odd how it's almost become taboo. It's one of those things that you don't really talk about, unless directly asked. And it's a subject that doesn't come up a lot, but then when it does, people quickly shut it down."
"That is so true." Rory agreed.
"The entire situation is just so sad. So many lives were lost that day."
"It was really surreal to be there today. We went to lunch after, and were still in a weird funk for another hour. Going over to Ellis Island helped snap us out of it, and reminded us of happier times. It was a great trip. We did some shopping, and enjoyed being out of the house. G and April had asked Logan to take us to Tiffany's. None of us had ever been, so Logan was actually really excited for that."
"You'd never been to Tiffany's?"
"Logan does his shopping alone."
"He'd never taken you?"
"Nope! It was always just something that he did to surprise me. I had never been before today. I honestly never had any desire to. I'm just not that person."
"You aren't materialistic at all."
"I'm really not. That kind of stuff just isn't my thing. Logan likes to spoil me with expensive things, but at the end of the day, I'm still me. I might be CEO of a giant multi-national company, but I'm still the same Rory that I've always been. My bank account might be a lot bigger, but it still means nothing to me. I actually don't even know how much is in it because Logan has an accountant that takes care of everything for us. I couldn't even tell you how much money we make because I honestly have no idea."
"That's both a good and a bad thing. I know what you mean by not knowing how much you make though, because I've always been that wife. Richard always took care of everything. I never had to think about it."
"It's kind of nice not having to worry about any of it. I didn't even look at it when we signed our tax forms. The accountant went over everything with Logan, but it was all so far over my head that I don't really know what it means anyway. I know that the business is doing really well, and we are making more money than we spend. I honestly don't even keep up with the financials because it's just not my thing. I have a team of people for that, and they all answer to Logan. I haven't needed to learn that side of things."
"Sometimes it's just more relaxing to not have that kind of stress in your life."
"It really is. HPG has an entire department for all the financial stuff, and then there are several different teams to deal with each financial aspect. And even with all of those teams, Logan has our own private accountant who double checks all of their work to make sure that it's all accurate, and isn't being embezzled somewhere."
"That is really smart of him."
"Logan might claim to hate the family business, and have nothing to do with it. But the reality of the situation is that he's the real CEO of the company. My name is just the one being flaunted around."
"Which is why it's after 9pm, and Logan is the one downstairs in his office, working, while you are up here in bed, watching tv."
"Exactly! He took the day off to spend with me, so now he's working the night away to make up for it."
"Logan is a lot like his father."
"Mitchum never would have taken the day off to play." Rory told her. "At least with Logan, he can always find an excuse to play, even if it means that he has to stay up working all night to make up for it."
"Logan is a good provider, just like Richard."
"He really is. Speaking of Grandpa, where is he?"
"He's downstairs with the girls, hearing all about your trip from them. I wanted to come check on you. Make sure that you're doing ok."
"I am actually feeling really good right now. Being outside today was exactly what I needed. I was getting really depressed being stuck in bed all day."
"Well maybe now that the weather is nice, we can get Logan to let you hang out downstairs during the day. We can set you up on the couch, and then we can sneak you outside for a while. Maybe let you lounge by the pool."
"That is a really good idea. I wonder if I can sit in the pool. Even if I'm not swimming, maybe I can just sit on the steps. It's basically the same as taking a shower, just cooler water, and outside."
"I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to. As long as you aren't moving around exerting yourself, I would think that lounging in the pool would be just fine. We will definitely have to ask him."
"How are the plans coming for this weekend?" Rory asked.
"Everything is all set. Your mother has your big party all moved to your office. She will be here tomorrow night to start setting things up. She chartered a bus to bring people up. A couple of your friends are staying with Honor, and I think your friend Lane is staying here with all of us Friday night. Christopher and Francine will be here Saturday morning. They are staying with Honor as well. Your mom doesn't want this house over run with people. I believe April's Mom is coming up too."
"That will be so fun to see everyone. I feel bad that they all have to travel here to see me though. It would be so much easier if I could just go to them."
"It would be, but honestly, no one minds at all. Everyone has been very gracious about having to move venues, and they don't mind the extra travel at all. Shira added some extra people to the party here on Sunday, but that's not a problem at all because we have plenty of space. As long as the nice weather holds, we'll have your secret garden party outside. It will be beautiful! But if for some reason the weather changes, I have contingency plans in place to move everything inside."
"Grandma, that sounds so nice. Thank you!"
"It's my pleasure Sweetheart. It will be lovely! Everything is going to be just perfect!"
"Have you let the charity people know about the change in venue?"
"I have. The president of the organization will be at the party."
"Really? That makes me so happy! I am so glad. Thank you!"
"They asked me to extend an invitation to you to join them for an event they are doing in a couple of months. They are having a large summer baby shower event for their new moms who are giving birth over the next several months. They do two large shower events each year, then a couple smaller events. Their summer shower is the biggest event, and they wanted to make sure that you are invited and offer you the chance to speak to all of the women there, if you would like to."
"What do they want me to say?"
"I was just told that you would introduce yourself, tell everyone a little bit about who you are, and about HPG and what you do there. Then tell them about your journey to motherhood; the things you've learned, how it's changed you, helpful tips if you have any, you can share any concerns or fears that you may have, or have had in the past, share your experiences, what your favorite thing is about being a mother, or mother to be, and any words of wisdom that you might have for other mothers who are traveling the same journey that you've been on."
"Ok, I think I can handle all of that. When is the event?"
"Not until the very end of June. I believe it's the last weekend. It gives you plenty of time to adjust to having a new baby."
"Ok. I can definitely handle that. I'm happy to help with whatever I can."
"Good, I knew that you would be. Now, show me those pictures from today. Maybe we can use some of them this weekend."
"That would be cool." Rory said as she unlocked her phone, and pulled up the pictures she had taken. "This one is my favorite. April took it and I stole it from her."
"That is really pretty. Is that at the statue of liberty?" Emily asked, admiring the photo of Rory happily wrapped in Logan's arms as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"It is. We were just standing there looking out toward the city and April made the comment that we were adorable. It felt so good to be outside. I was so happy, and the weather was perfect. It was peaceful and amazing."
"You look very happy."
"I have a really amazing life, Grandma. Even for as dull as it might be at times, I am so lucky. I have the best husband in the world."
"You know that your sisters planned the entire day for you."
"I do. They are great! I love having them around. I just wish that we had been able to grow up together the way that you did with your sister. I feel like I missed out on a lot."
"Having a sister is like having a built in best friend. My sister and I were very close growing up."
"Why doesn't she ever come to visit? I think I only met her that once."
"I don't know actually. She just doesn't like to travel. Your Grandfather and I only see her when we travel to Berlin. She has her life, and doesn't like to travel the way that we do."
"Do you miss her?"
"I do, but we still talk on the phone occasionally, and she emails a couple times a week."
"Do you think that maybe she would come visit if we invited her?"
"I doubt it. I've invited her hundreds of times. She just doesn't like to travel."
"Maybe we can go visit her then."
"I bet she would like that. I'll email her tomorrow. Maybe we can go later this year."
"That sounds nice." Rory smiled, flipping through a couple more pictures. "Here's one of me, G and April at Ellis Island."
"That is really cute. You three look beautiful. We'll have to get that one printed for sure. You know what I just thought of? We should have some family pictures taken while your sisters are here. I'll see if I can set something up for the next couple days. Maybe we'll do it Friday, or before your party on Saturday. We should get some maternity photos done for you anyway, so we'll just do it all at once."
"That sounds really nice Grandma. Here's another one of me and Logan while we were at lunch."
"Is that ketchup on his nose?"
"It is. It was an accident, but it was funny. We were talking about something, and I moved my arm wrong, and knocked his hand into his face while he was eating french fries. He decided to share the mess." Rory told her, flipping to the next picture where Logan had smeared the ketchup onto Rory's face.
"That's just lovely." Emily chuckled.
"Logan is a child when he wants to be."
"Yes, I see that."
"This one is one of my favorites. Logan shopping with April and Gigi. They kept putting random souvenir hats and stuff on him."
"Logan is a good sport."
"He is. It was really fun to watch. He's never had younger siblings, so he's got a few decades of torture to catch up on."
"Well I'm sure Ayribella will enjoy dressing him up too."
"I am so looking forward to that!" Rory laughed. "I just know it's going to be completely adorable."
"Logan is really good with kids."
"He is. He's amazing with them. Paris and Doyle's kids love him."
"Hey Sweetheart, I just wanted to come say goodnight to you." Richard said, walking into Rory's bedroom.
"Hey Grandpa."
"It sounds like you guys had quite the day today."
"We did, it was amazing! I had a great time. It was exactly what I needed."
"Is there anything that I can do for you before I turn in for the night?"
"I think I'm ok, but thank you."
"Did your Grandmother tell you, the contractor said that our apartment should be done next week."
"That is awesome news Grandpa! I am so happy!"
"Emily and I are going to head back to Hartford tomorrow morning, but we'll be back Friday to get everything set up for your parties."
"Whatever you need to do is fine with me. You know that I'm always happy to have you around."
"Is there anything that you would like for us to bring back for you?"
"I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I'll let you know if that changes."
"You do that. I'm going to go turn in. I'll make sure we say goodbye before we go in the morning."
"Thank you Grandpa. I love you."
"I love you too Honey. You get some rest, alright? You've had a busy day."
"I'm going to head to bed too." Emily told her. "I'm glad you had such a wonderful day with Logan and your sisters. You look nice and refreshed."
"I feel refreshed." Rory agreed. "Today was a lot of fun."
"Get some rest Honey. We'll see you in the morning. I love you." Emily told her, kissing Rory on the forehead before moving off the bed."
"I love you both so much. Thank you for everything. Sleep well." Rory said, then watched as her Grandparents left the room.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * 11:30pm * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"My beautiful wife." Logan smiled as he slid into bed, gently wrapping his arms around Rory.
"What's gotten into you?"
"I've been stuck on the phone with our office in Hong Kong for the last two hours, and the entire time all I could think about was coming to bed, and curling up with you."
"Really?"
"Today was a lot of fun. It makes me miss college sometimes."
"How so?"
"I miss being able to just be with you having fun all day. Remember when we went to St. Croix, and we got to just be together all day, shopping, seeing the sights, and enjoying the island? I miss that. I miss how simple things used to be before we had jobs and responsibilities. Sometimes I just want to go back to being 21 again, and being able to do whatever I wanted before real life kicked in."
"So you think 21 was freedom?"
"Way more so than being 18. At least I didn't need a fake ID to do things."
"I actually never had one of those."
"You actually did, you just didn't know about it, because we never ended up needing it."
"Wait, you got me a fake ID?"
"I did. It was a preventative measure that I took, just in case we ever needed it. But you passed for 21 really well all on your own, so we never actually needed it. I used to carry your ID in my wallet behind mine."
"Seriously? How come I never knew about that?"
"You just never ended up needing it. Everyone in the group had a fake when they were under age. Most college kids have them."
"So you just had one made for me, without telling me about it?"
"Well, we figured that if we told you about it at the time, you would probably get upset and refuse to go out with us to anywhere that you might end up needing it. So we just kept it quiet, and figured we would tell you if and when we actually ended up using it. But somehow everywhere we went, just waved you in with me, and you never ended up needing it."
"Do you still have it?"
"It's in a box somewhere. Either in the garage, or over at Honor's house."
"Does it look real?"
"It looks identical to your old drivers license, except with a different birth year."
"How is that even possible?"
"I took a picture of your license one day, and sent it over to Finn so he could get your ID."
"You're serious right now?"
"Finn's roommate was the guy with printer." Logan shrugged.
"How did I not know about all of this?" Rory asked.
"Because you would have been upset, and would have refused to go out with us. I already explained this."
"And you think that by telling me all of this now, I won't be upset?"
"Ace, come on. You can't be mad at me for something that I did to help you 12 years ago."
"I'm not mad, just kind of shocked that I never knew about any of this."
"Why would we tell you something that would have made you mad?"
"Uh, because we were in a relationship, that's why."
"I had it made before we were officially together."
"When did you have access to my driver's license to take a picture?"
"When you gave it to me to hold for you one night. You handed me your ID, chapstick and room key to put in my pocket, so you wouldn't have to carry a purse."
"I did? I mean that sounds like something that I would do, but I really gave you my ID?"
"Ace, come on. You just said that it sounds like something you would do. Why are you even questioning this. It's me and the guys. Why wouldn't be all have a fake ID? I got my first fake ID when I was 12."
"Twelve?! Really?"
"We needed a designated driver, and I was the oldest."
"Wow!"
"How are you still surprised by the stupid things that the guys and I have done?"
"Because you three are complete idiots!"
"And this is a new concept to you?"
"Well no, but the level of sheer stupidity that you three have sunk to, just baffles me sometimes."
"I'm not sure how that is even possible at this point. It's Collin and Finn!"
"Exactly! You Collin and Finn are Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dumb, and Tweedle Dumbest!"
"So none of our idiotic antics should ever surprise you."
"Some days I really wonder how you ever managed to graduate from medical school."
"You and me both." Logan laughed.
"The three of you . . . You know that this is why Stephanie and I don't let you guys hang out unsupervised anymore."
"Please, Stephanie has been babysitting us since we were about ten. We've ALWAYS needed a babysitter. We just got better at dodging the sitter as we got older."
"You three are completely ridiculous!"
"Trust me, that's something that we have always been well aware of."
"I can't believe that you had a fake ID made for me, and I never knew about."
"I can't believe that we never ended up needing it."
"You know, I don't think I ever got carded when I was out with you."
"I don't think you did either. Which would be why you never ended up needing the ID."
"Don't you think that's kind of strange?"
"Not really. Most places that we went, people knew me, so they just waved us right in. Plus, you kind of mellowed me out. You and I never did anything completely crazy together."
"Crazier than breaking into the dining hall for ice cream?"
"It's not breaking in when you have a key."
"How did you get that key anyway?"
"I know some very powerful locksmiths."
"You said that then too."
"Would you even want to hear any other answer?"
"Probably not." Rory chuckled.
"I would think that by now you would have learned to not ask so many questions."
"Oh trust me, I learned that about two weeks into dating you."
"Some things are just better left unsaid."
"Plausible deniability."
"Exactly! Explanations are too incriminating. You didn't deserve that."
"But I do now?"
"Like I said, you've mellowed me out. I haven't done anything truly stupid in a very long time."
"Do you ever miss it?"
"I do. But I'm happy with the way my life turned out."
"How so?"
"I have you, don't I? Everything I've ever wanted is right here in this room."
"There is nothing else that you want?"
"Ok, maybe a vacation would be nice right now."
"You want to take a vacation?"
"I wish we could. Just the two of us."
"Where would we go?"
"Does it matter? We could go anywhere, and the only thing that would matter to me would be being with you. I love doing things together, just the two of us."
"It's not going to be just the two of us for very much longer." Rory said as they both felt the baby kick.
"I know, and I'm really looking forward to it." Logan smiled. "I was stuck on that conference call for so long tonight. My office is lonely without you with me."
"You were right downstairs."
"I know, but I wanted to be up here, in bed, with you."
"You are sappy today."
"I just miss you. I've gotten really used to having you with me all the time. Sitting in a meeting alone is boring."
"How did the meeting go?"
"I've forgotten a lot of the Japanese that I used to know. I needed the translator a lot more than I used to."
"I've never not needed the translator."
"Things are going well over there. Profits are up. They are expanding the building to fit another 200 employees. They only currently need room for 20-30 more, but adding more space than needed is always for the best with how much we are constantly growing."
"How much is that going to cost?"
"A few million. The bids are being sent to the attorneys and accountants tonight. Collin will have some work to do on it in the morning."
"Speaking of expanding, Grandpa said the addition to our house will be done next week."
"That's awesome!"
"Grandma and Grandpa are heading back to Hartford in the morning, but they'll be back on Friday. They asked if there is anything that we need them to bring back."
"Maybe a time travel machine, so we could take a quick trip back to the carefree days at Yale."
"I'm not sure that those machines even exist."
"Well then maybe we need a magician to take us back."
"Why don't you just plan a trip for this fall. Maybe we can go to Hawaii or something."
"Sexy wife wearing a bikini on the beach for our anniversary. I'm in!"
"Don't forget about our daughter."
"We'll take your Mom to babysit."
"That sounds nice."
"I'll call the travel agent tomorrow." Logan told her. "Maybe we can even renew our vows on the beach."
"You really think that our families will let us by with that? You know that they still want that huge society wedding."
"I know, but is that really us? As much as I would love to give you the massive fairy tale wedding of your dreams, I can't help but wonder if that is really want you actually want?"
"I already have everything that I want right here. The big fancy wedding isn't for us. It's for our families."
"Exactly. And that's not what weddings should be about. If we are going to have a wedding, I want it to be about us. You and me. I don't care about having a ridiculous society event. I want to do whatever makes YOU happy."
"Our families want a party."
"They are getting their party with the baby showers this weekend."
"Logan."
"If you want to have a big wedding, then that's what we'll do. But I don't want it to be about our families throwing a massive party. I want it to be about us."
"What about a wedding in Stars Hollow? We can even get married in the church like Lane did."
"If that is what you want to do."
"I think my grandparents would be happy if we were married in a church."
"But is that what you want? Because this is about us, and not anyone else."
"Logan, we are already married. Why does it matter where we get pretend married?"
"I just want it to be about what YOU want, and not what other people demand of us."
"I liked my Mom's wedding in the town square. It was beautiful."
"Well why don't we do that then? You and Lorelai can plan the wedding of your dreams, right in the center of town."
"You would be ok with that?"
"Absolutely! If you want to get married again in the gazebo in Stars Hollow, then that is exactly what we will do."
"What about in the garden at the Dragonfly?"
"Whatever you want to do. Just tell me when to show up."
"You really think that you are going to get away with me planning this entire thing without you?"
"I have no doubt that I'll have to help somehow, but I want it to be about you. I already got the wedding of my dreams. Everything else is just gravy."
"Gravy? Really?"
"Ok, chocolate syrup. It's all just the chocolate syrup on top of our already perfect wedding bliss sundae."
"I'll talk to my Mom and Grandma this weekend." Rory told him, trying to fight off a yawn that broke into her speech.
"Go to sleep Ace. We can talk about all of this later."
"I love you Logan. Thank you for today."
"It was my pleasure." Logan smiled, placing a soft kiss on his wife's head. "I love you too, Ace."
Sunday the 26th we got in the car to go pick up the moving truck, and the e-mail confirmation my husband had received from Uhaul (the company pays for everything when they transfer us) told us to pick up in the tiny town we lived in. But then we had a second confirmation e-mail, telling us to pick up an hour from us. Not really sure where exactly we were supposed to go, we started with the place closest to us, which was 2 miles from home. It was closed on Sundays. So we drove an hour to the next place because living in a tiny town, there wasn't anything else there. So we get to the new place, and it's not a Uhaul dealer at all, it's a gas station that had just started renting trucks. The woman working there had never done a truck rental before, and had no idea what she was doing. The truck we had reserved was a 20 foot truck, which they had, but it had just been returned with a blown tire, and couldn't be used. The only other thing they had was a 26 foot truck, which was much bigger than what we needed. My husband and I called Uhaull customer service to ask what to do, and they changed our reservation to the larger truck without charging us more (which we wouldn't have cared about because we weren't the ones footing the bill). So my husband goes back inside to do the paperwork on the truck and car transport trailer we needed to tow our second car, and the woman had no idea what she was doing and basically threw the keys at my husband, and did zero paperwork or truck inspection. Just said "here you go." My husband made her photo copy his license because he wasn't about to walk out of there without that at least done. When we went to turn the truck in two days later, we found out that the truck had never been rented to us at all, or even checked back in from the last rental. The company got a completely free move out of Uhaul because of it. When we picked up the truck it didn't come with the utility dolly it was supposed to, so my husband was able to go to a place by our house that rented other Uhaul equipment, and even though it was closed on Sundays, the owner happened to be there doing other work, and was nice enough to help hubby out. He had been accidentally given a dolly he wasn't supposed to have, and was nice enough to tell hubby to take it and make sure he returned it with the truck. So at least we had that.
We loaded the truck Sunday afternoon and began our move first thing Monday morning. We get to our new place around 11am (about an hour and a half from the old one), and the apartment we had signed the lease on wasn't ready for us to move in the way that it was supposed to be. I had driven our car down with the kids, while hubby was driving the truck, and the apartment manager was telling me that she didn't have our unit ready and it wouldn't be ready for several days, and was asking if we could just get a hotel room until the unit became available. I was about to lose my mind, so thank goodness hubby suddenly got there at that point, because I might have ripped into the woman. She went and called her boss, and they came up with the solution of giving us another unit, but wouldn't have it ready for a couple more hours. Fine, we went to get lunch and came back to move in. Being the genius autism mom control freak that I am, I had ordered groceries Sunday night, to have delivered between 5 and 6pm on Monday. I ordered $250 in groceries and supplies to be delivered from Walmart, which meant calling to change the apartment number. That turned into a nightmare because I got a text message saying that my delivery driver had arrived, but yet there was no one outside. Luckily, logging into the app, it gave me a phone number for the driver, who I called, and while Walmart had changed my apartment number when I had called them that afternoon, the driver didn't get the information, and was unloading on the wrong porch, all the way on the other side of the apartment complex. Poor guy had to reload his car, and drive to the opposite end of the complex. That's cool, we tipped him $14. BUT, our new apartment didn't have a fridge. Hubby and I ended up spending over $30 on ice to keep our groceries cold until we got a fridge the next afternoon, which hubby had to walk to the office to pick up and bring back to the apartment (we are at he very far back end of the complex, the office is at the front, right next where our original apartment is). All they had to help hubby, was a broken utility dolly. So hubby had to bring the fridge back by himself on a broken dolly. Hubby is severely asthmatic, and part of our complex is up hill. So that was fun. There was no one available to help him, so it was all hubby.
Wednesday morning, we wake up and the ceiling in our dining room is raining all over the floor. A pipe under the laundry area upstairs (we're in a townhouse) was broken and after doing two loads of laundry the night before, our downstairs is completely flooded. It was 6am, and hubby's first day at work, so I'm left home with our two autistic kids and a flooded downstairs, and worried about the ceiling caving in and falling down. I called the property manager's emergency line at 6am, but of course no one came out to fix it until that afternoon. Right now as I sit her writing all of this out, we still have two holes in the ceiling above my head, and two giant fans next to me that the restoration guy left here to dry things out. The plumber that came out that day was an idiot and told my husband that the water had come from my washer. That actually really pissed me off because we had never had a problem with our washer before, and it just wasn't possible. He said that one of the hoses going into the washer had leaked and flooded the house. NO! Eff you dude! Two days later, the problem happened again, but no where near as bad as the first time. Right now, my washer is still pulled out from where it goes, just so I can monitor the situation. We've only had the two leaking instances, but there is definitely a broken pipe in the ceiling. A new plumber just came out this morning to evaluate the situation, and said that they will be back to fix it. They are going to have to rip out the ceiling in the dining room. The light above my dining room table was completely full of water from the first flood, which hubby had to figure out how to empty. I have pictures and video of the flood, and you guys would lose your crap if you saw it. And that isn't even the end of our nightmare.
When we moved in, I was told that for our mail, I needed to go to the post office with our lease, my ID and a payment of $35 to get a mailbox key. So I did that Monday, and after standing in line for a freaking HOUR (welcome to living in a big city), I was told that I was at the wrong post office, and had to go across town to the other office that our mail was distributed from. Fine! Whatever! So Tuesday I went to the other office, and spent another hour in line just to be told "They didn't help you at the other office? That's stupid, they could have done this there. Why did they send you here?" Jerks! So the lady helps me out, takes my payment and tells me there will be an "extensive wait" for someone to come out to change the lock on my box. I asked what an extensive wait meant and she told me that she didn't know, but it would be a while. So I go back home and talk to my apartment manager to find out that some of my neighbors have been waiting as long as 8 months. Freaking awesome! Yeah, I'm not waiting 8 months to get my mail. That's just crap! I happened to see the mailman delivering mail around 6pm that day when I came back from running to Walmart, and convinced him to open my mailbox and give me my mail which I had in two different boxes because I had submitted our change of address before moving, and it had been for a different apartment number. So the guy hands me mail for both boxes inside of this giant mail container, tells me to take what was mine, and put everything else in the outgoing mail drop. He didn't check my ID or anything, just handed me a box of mail and left. I had mail for probably my entire neighborhood in my hand, which is completely illegal. Thank goodness I'm an honest person because I dug through the box putting everything that wasn't mine in the outgoing slot, then went home with the few things that were mine. While I had been at the post office that day, I was able to get my change of address corrected, so at least that nightmare is fixed. However, it's now been 2 weeks and we STILL don't have mail. As I'm typing this, I am stalker calling the local post office. I went down there on Saturday and threw a massive fit. I've filed numerous complaints, which have all been completely ignored. I've also called local postal district office and postal consumer affairs office to file complaints there. I've been ignored. So Saturday I stood in line for about an hour and a half, and ripped into a supervisor. I literally yelled at him in front of a long line of people. I tried to be nice and explain my situation, just to be told that it would be a while, the mailboxes at my apartment complex are old and they have to order new locks. Yeah, no, that's complete BS, it's been 2 weeks since I moved in and my neighbors have been waiting 8 months. That's completely unacceptable, which I told the guy and I told him that he could give me a new lock and I would go change the damn thing myself. He told me that they can't do that. So I told him to just give us new freaking boxes and he tells me that if my complex wants new boxes, they can order the boxes themselves. Whatever dude! Give me my freaking mail! There was an amazon order that I needed, sitting in my box, which I don't have a key to. So the supervisor calls our mail carrier and tells him to take the mail from my box and bring it back to the office. I immediately tell him no, I'm NOT coming back, you have him deliver to my front door! He tells the mail carrier to deliver the mail to my door. I then tell him that my mail had better not only be delivered to my door that day, but EVERY day until those idiots decide to give me and my neighbors mailbox keys. The dude tells me that maybe someone will be out to fix the problem "next week". Yeah, still not acceptable! I tell him that it had better be fixed on Monday, or I'll be back to yell at him. He tells me that it won't be Monday, so I tell him that he'll be seeing me again then. So I still don't have mail. The mailman never showed up at my door on Saturday. So yesterday (Monday), I walked down to the mail room to put a note on the door for the mailman, asking him to bring my mail to my door. My box is empty. All the mail that was in there, including my amazon package, is gone! I call the local post office (who NEVER answers the phone) and amazingly enough, got a person on the phone, I explain my situation, and they put me on hold while they go "look" for my mail. 45 minutes later, I'm still on hold, and my phone battery is dieing, so I hang up and call back. No answer! I call 28 more times. It rings and rings for 3 minutes and 16 seconds each time before the system disconnects you. I am literally stalker calling the post office, trying to find my mail. I had left a message for my apartment manager yesterday, and my husband stopped by the office to talk to her about the plumbing issues we've been having (the plumber has been here like 3 times fixing two toilets, the cracked garbage disposal that leaked all over the cabinet below the kitchen sink, two bathroom sinks (one was completely replaced), and the leaking ceiling. This apartment has issues, but at least they're being fixed. Our manager is the sweetest woman, who I actually really like. The kids and I took her cookies last week. So yesterday she tells hubby and she doesn't have our mail, and that our box was empty when she went to check after getting my message. So our mail is lost and the post office doesn't give a damn! AWESOME! So hubby tells her about the fit I threw at the post office on Saturday, and how I was lucky to not be thrown out of there. Our manager laughs, tells him that she loves me, and that someone had actually just come out from the post office to look at the boxes and order new locks, and that they were actually making her a key to the mail room, so that she could help everyone who lives here FINALLY get their mail. So because of my big mouth, something is FINALLY being done. Why the eff it's taken 8 months for the morons at the post office to get off their butts and fix the problem, is beyond my comprehension, but fine, whatever! Where's my mail people?! As I am typing this, I am stalker calling the post office AGAIN! I've called 8 times and they JUST picked up. Awesome! So now they're saying that they have my mail and it is being delivered by my carrier today, amazon package and everything. And they said that my lock has been changed and that I can come down to the post office to pick up my key and fill out some paperwork. Awesome, I get to go stand in line for an hour and a half all over again. Awesome! Great! Fabulous! This is crap! I asked if there is any special consideration they can make for me since it's been such a nightmare. NOPE! They don't care! I pulled the autism card, I pulled the high risk covid card. I asked if they can give my key to the mailman to bring to me, or even to my apartment manager, nope! They are demanding that I show up at the post office, stand in line for a freaking hour and a half AGAIN, so I can fill out paperwork and pick up my key. You have got to be freaking kidding me! And the lady tried to tell me that the wait wouldn't be an hour and a half. I told her that's crap because I've already been there twice and it ALWAYS takes an hour and a half because there is only one damn person working. But they're insisting that I go in there. Freaking awesome! So just called my apartment office and left a message for the manager to ask if my lock has really actually FINALLY been changed, before I got waste my time standing in line at the post office, just to have to rip into the supervisor AGAIN. I also now get to make arrangements with my husband for him to come home from work early to watch the kids so I can go waste my time in line at the post office. I've only called the post office literally 50 times now. I'm not even kidding. I can show you the call log on my phone. It's beyond ridiculous! But hey, they FINALLY answered! Enough annoying stalker calls and they pick up the phone. My big mouth doesn't give up when I'm being treated like crap. My neighbors have been waiting 8 months for their mail, so it just took me a week of throwing a massive hissy fit to the post office, filing complaint after complaint, and supposedly we have results today. We were worried about me getting arrested for throwing a fit on Saturday. Hubby said that had I not been white, they probably would have arrested me. But because I have white privilege, they won't touch me. I also live in a mostly black neighborhood, and had one of the neighbors gone in to throw a fit, instead of me, they most likely would have been arrested. But because I'm white, I have the race card working in my favor. I freaking HATE living in the racist south. It's just stupid! I wasn't raised like this. I grew up in Southern California, in the ghetto. I was raised by a single mom who didn't have a lot of money. Hubby too. We never had much money growing up, so we grew up in the rougher neighborhoods, with the rest of the low income families. We have more money now than our mothers had when we were growing up, but because of inflation, we are still considered lower income. We aren't considered "low income", but we definitely don't make much. We are a one income family with two special needs children. I'll tell you this much, our $850 rent is A LOT and there is no way that we can afford any more than that. Especially not with our car payment. So we live in I guess what would be considered a upper lower income type neighborhood. We don't live in a rich area at all. That's the neighborhood across the street from us. But it's a neighborhood where the residents aren't "low income" but still struggle. It's mostly black, which my husband and I don't mind at all. We grew up in the ghetto struggling neighborhoods, and this is where we feel most comfortable. We prefer to be surrounded by people just like us. But because we are white, we are privileged. So my big mouth just did all of my neighbors a favor. I'm proud that I've helped everyone. I feel bad that it took this long for someone to help them, and to stand up for what is wrong with the ridiculous world that we live in, but at least I'm able to help make their lives a little bit better and somewhat easier.
When my kids wake up from their naps, I'm going to take a walk down to the apartment office to talk to our manager and find out if the locks have actually been changed, and what else my big mouth can help her with. Now that I've done some good, I feel like I need to keep going. I don't have a ton of time to help out because I am homeschooling two kids, but if my big mouth and white privilege can help someone being ignored and subjected to a craptastic broken system, I want to be their voice. No one should have to wait 8 months to have access to their mail. And one deserves to be treated like a second class citizen because of the color of their skin. I've never considered myself lucky to be white. I actually joke around with my close friends about being a "wexican" (white wash mexican) because I grew up in the ghetto in San Diego, and eat more Mexican food than anyone we know. Most of my friends aren't white like I am. They are all different races, and I consider myself to be one of them. I don't see color at all. I see all of us as being exactly the same. No one is better than anyone else. My black best friend isn't black to me. He's just himself. He's my best friend, and I love him to death. My other BFF is half white half Puerto Rican. Another close friend is 100% Mexican. But to us, we're all family. There is no race or skin color. We're just human. And it completely kills me to watch the people I consider to me my family, to be unfairly discriminated against. It's not right! Black lives matter! I stand with my friends. They're my family, and I love them all! There is nothing that I wouldn't do for them. So if my white voice can help you, please let me know. I love you all, and I want to help if I can. :-)