Living in Chrystal Heights' south side has its advantages. Granted, the apartment building security staff may not exactly be a crack crime control unit, but the rent is cheap and for a twenty-year-old music-store cashier making minimum wage, that's all that really matters. I live alone because I want it that way. No one tells me what to do. Yes, I know I could take on a roommate but I don't really need to put up with other people's shit.
I mention this because putting up with people's shit isn't something I do well. Take Kate, for instance. I have to talk to her because she's my hairdresser and she works cheap, but she's also a neighbor on my floor. She never stops talking and it's always about her boyfriend. It's always "Tony this" and "Tony that". Everything is Tony. Well, fuck that. I don't need a man around to tell me what to do.
"...so make sure you lock your door, okay, Jessica?"
"Huh?" I replied. We were on the elevator going to the third floor of the apartment building. I finally realized that Kate was chattering away at me and I had zoned her out.
"I was saying make sure you lock your door tonight and don't talk to strangers, you silly goose! Your lovely black hair and adorable figure make you a perfect target and you don't want that man to get you the way he got Erin!"
"What man are you talking about, Kate? What happened to Erin?"
Kate sighed. She knew I had zoned her out. She spoke with exaggerated patience. "Some guy showed up at Erin's apartment the other night. She knows he was there and she knows what he did. She just doesn't remember what he looked like."
"Dammit, Kate, what did he do? Do I have to drag it out of you?" This is why I don't like dealing with stupid people.
"He...you know...did her in the rear end."
"Erin took it up the ass? Really? I didn't think she was the type." I said.
"She's not, Jessica! You know that."
"This guy raped her? How the hell did he get out of the building?" I asked. I was suddenly pissed.
"No! He didn't rape Erin. He just...did her back there." said Kate.
I was getting frustrated. "So if Erin didn't want him to do her there, why did she let him?"
Kate shrugged. "He talked her into it."
I rolled my eyes and immediately lost interest. "Kate, Erin should have ripped off some things very important to that guy if she didn't want him doing that. Erin let the guy walk all over her, so it's her problem."
"Well, the thing is she doesn't even remember what this guy looks like now, so maybe she was drugged, you know? So lock your door, okay, Jessica?"
"Oh, please, Kate. Like I'd let anybody do me there. That's unexplored territory, sweetie, and it's staying that way. And if anybody tries to do me back there, I'm going to tear off their favorite toy and hand it to them to carry home."
*****
I entered my apartment and yes, I did shoot the bolt and slide the chain into place. I took off my shoes and walked around barefoot in my jeans and a t-shirt as I made myself some tuna casserole for dinner.
Girls like Erin irritate me. She lets a guy do her in the ass because he tells her he wants to and she wants to whine about it afterward? Butch up, sweetie. That's what you get for letting someone tell you what to do.