<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

I acted as the ex-boyfriend's mostly unpaid rental agent from about May 2005 through July 2009. During that time I found him four different sets of tenants and organized repairs and improvements to the house. Twice it was very difficult to find tenants, and I would get phone calls accusing me of not doing enough. I put up signs and paid for advertisements, and each time I found him tenants. During this time, he collected over $50,000 dollars in rent for his very pricey home in a nice neighborhood. He gave me a check once for $250 and a plane ticket to visit him way up north. There were two other times when he wanted me to come visit and arranged for plane tickets, but on both of these occasions he abruptly changed the schedule at the last moment- once I was told I was going to get off the airplane in Seattle, attend a gay circuit party cruise, take the train north, and then return the next day, spending one night in a airport hotel. The other time he shortened the trip because he was selling his house up there- I would arrive Friday night and leave early Monday morning. In each case, he spent somewhere between $50 and $90 rebooking the tickets, which were from his frequent flyer account.

Last year he decided to have a big gay wedding and he wanted me to come and gave me another plane ticket. I was supposed to camp out on his deck next to the ocean for that week. I bought a tent and sleeping bag. Two days before I was supposed to get on the airplane he sends me an email telling me that the plans had changed, again, and that he was going to have me stay with some friends of him with several other guests, although he had yet to ask them whether we could stay. A week spent in stranger's house who didn't know I was coming. And by the way, I would need to rent a car and pay for a ferry, etc. I canceled. This happened right around an incident involving the rental house in which I was told I was biased against him and a terrible person because I dared tell him he was inconsiderate to have the floors re-finished right days before the tenants were to move in, delaying their ability to do so despite the fact they were already paying rent.

The ex was not happy I canceled attendance at the big gay wedding. I received a particularly interesting email. I had a friend read it. He said to me, in amazement, "This guy thinks he is your friend?" One aspect of the email was a demand that I give back the plane ticket and when I responded that he had given it to me for taking care of his rental house for four years, he flew into a rage and sent me a second email, which I discarded after reading the first sentence. I used that lovely plane ticket to visit Portland a couple of months ago, and let me tell you, it was a lovely trip and I had a wonderful time with Mark and Rodger.

The relief that suddenly passed over me after deleting the second email and deciding that I was through with him, knowing that I would never have to deal with him again, was immeasurable. For years this man had questioned our friendship. A few months would pass by and no phone calls would pass between us, and then he would call me and tell me I was a terrible friend because I never called. Of course, it was always because I didn't call, it didn't matter that he hadn't called either. After a few years, I really didn't want to call, because what was the point? I was lectured on this and that, told I could be doing better in my job or that I should lose weight, since I was not the skinny guy he knew back in the 1990s.

I sometimes asked other people who knew him what they thought, and they would ask me why I bothered. They had all decided he was a pain in the ass. I guess I remembered the good times back in the 20th century, before he became so obsessed with money. When he was fun to be around, although always a bit emotionally manipulative. As the years past, I saw that he was becoming more like the mother he used to tell me about.

So anyways, the last tenants I arranged to live in his house are good friends of mine and he apparently hates that, so he is forcing them to move out on trumped up reasons. Really, I am so glad I never have to see him again, because he has become a monster.

Newer›  ‹Older

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

comments powered by Disqus