{There was a time in my life that I guess the best description of me and my lifestyle would be described as...active?
Which means, at least to me, that I got more than my fair share of female company. The gift of gab, combined with also being on the bold side seemed to work for me.
This one happened, I probably would have jotted it down long ago but it just popped up out of the fog of many years this morning, so I thought I would get it written before I forget about it again.)
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Someone was knocking on my door. Hell, it felt like the middle of the damned night but I could tell it was light outside so I got up.
I had a bit of a hangover, not too bad. The evening before I had been hitting the local clubs, such as they are. The last one was the one down on the main drag, everyone called it that but it was the only street and in a tourist haven about six blocks long.
Not exactly crawling with women, at least any interesting. The owner was an old gal that used spoons to beat on bottles like that was a big deal. Even got herself on TV doing that, funny shit.
OK, it was Gracie's, anyone from around there knows already of course. In the Winter the place closed at around 10 PM, might as well since everyone went home before that.
Different story in the Summers, the place was packed if it wasn't raining which it was about 80% of the time.
Plus warm on the Oregon coast is 55 degrees.
All I had on that morning was my pajama bottoms, not even socks.
They had tiny little yellow baby ducks all over them. I don't even remember where I got them, they might have even been in that old house I bought and was fixing up.
The world's smallest harbor, they call the place, in the middle of the Oregon coast. I ended up there almost by accident, the Arab oil embargo did in my string of gas stations, so I was between work.
I decided to buy and fix up a house, sell it and go buy another. There was a Treasury certificate at the bank, I cashed that and bought the house up on the hill for just 13 grand.
The old lady that inherited the house was so tickled to see someone that would actually spend money for the dump that she was beside herself.
Two stories, a full daylight basement, the inside of the place was like a hallway, boxes piled on boxes, every closet full of very old clothing.
The outside was a square box, with a peaked roof. Like I said, a dump.
The old man that rented the place was a pack rat, if he saw something, he wanted it and dragged it home. It didn't matter what, old books, clothes, fishing gear, boxes of knick knacks, you name it he had two of them.
But now I was his landlord, and I wanted him out so I doubled his rent from the $200.00 per month he was paying to $400.00, damned if he didn't pay that.
I tried to evict him a couple of times but he fought me tooth and toenail, I guess he had lived there since the ice age and did not want to move.
I also think the old bag that was the local Judge was his girlfriend or something, like most small towns there are locals and everyone else.
I was an everyone else.
Local Judges also make up their own laws, if someone doesn't like it, go spend money and appeal.
After all, the house was filled with his "stuff."
He kept right on paying the outrageous at the time rent, showing up a day early without fail, demanding a reciept.
Finally I gave up and filed a no cause eviction and that worked, since by then I was smart and hired a local lawyer.
Except when he left he was pissed off at me so he left everything behind, including about a ton of garbage in the basement and a toilet so full of you know what the lid wouldn't close.
I must have held 30 garage sales, finally I got the place to where I could see the walls after renting a 40 yard dumpster.
That was probably a mistake because then I had to paint them, the living room was honest to God purple with green trim.
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I sort of remember the bullshit census form the government sent out, pages and pages of inane questions.
Fuck that, I tossed it.
Which led directly to what happened.
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So I answered the door, in my pajama bottoms.
There standing on my porch was a woman, she looked to be in her early 30's. Skirt, blouse, vest over the blouse and a clipboard in her hand.
"Yea?" I asked.
"I am with the United States Census, I need to ask you a few questions." She had a bright smile.