Weird Weekend
BiserSchap
Published
03/28/2011
Update on the roommate situation: Cleaned the bathroom and kitchen yesterday. Vacuumed the floors. I'll just make sure I help out more aggressively from now on. Like if I see Pete start doing the dishes after he cooked, I'll have his car towed so I can get in there while he's running after the tow truck. Hopefully all related drama will be averted as a result.
Jim apologized for giving me the impression that they were all talking behind my back. I think I know what he did. Back when Pete's girlfriend, Christina, was basically living with us (sleeping over, showering, doing laundry, vegging out in front of the TV) and not paying any rent, Jim pulled me aside and asked me if it bothered me. I said "no"...I was lying, but I didn't want any drama in what was otherwise one of the better living situations I've had. I realized he was looking for backup before he confronted her about it. That's probably basically what he did here. He thought I wasn't contributing enough, mentioned it to the others, and if he got so much as a "Yeah, I guess so," he turned it into "We all feel like we're being taken advantage of". While I think living there and not paying rent is miles apart from cleaning up only after yourself, I'm glad this will all (hopefully) pass, with some extra effort on my part.
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On a shittier note, I found out something disturbing about an old friend. Kevin was a guy I used to pal around with at the deli I worked at during college. He was great fun. He reminded me of Will Sasso, in sense of humor and physical presence. While he was good for morale when he was there, he was one of those guys that called in sick all the time, what seemed like once a week. It was plain to see from his behavior, weight, and the fact that he was usually hung over in the mornings, that he didn't have a lot of discipline. Also, he had to get a ride in to work all the time, because he couldn't get a license due to some irresponsible behavior, without forking over $600.00 dollars he didn't have. He couldn't pay it off in installments either, because he couldn't get a credit card or loan because of bad credit. Yeah, he was a good guy, but he definitely had his faults, out there enough for everyone to see...Or at least that's what I thought.
Little did I know what lurked beneath the surface. I was at my second job, concierging at a time share resort during the off-season, and was flipping the channels on the TV in the lobby. I caught a glimpse of a picture that looked like my old friend, Kevin, and backtracked to the channel I saw him. He was on the local public access channel. I realized right away it was that bulletin board program where they list all the town business, meetings and whatnot, and Kevin was being showed as part of the list of registered sex offenders in the area.
"He probably told a dirty joke within earshot of a mother and her kid. People are so touchy these days!" was my first thought. Denial is a bitch. I left it alone for a little bit before curiosity overwhelmed me, and I did a search on his name. I found a couple news stories in the local paper with more detail. Turns out he was convicted twice in 2009 of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and was picked up on a count of child rape in 2008. Needless to say I was blown away. I knew my friend had issues, but the degree of darkness I was completely unaware of. Moreover, I was shocked that he wasn't in prison. It said in the paper he was deemed at a high risk to re-offend. WTF??
I don't judge people based on who or what they're sexually attracted to. You don't control the thoughts that come into your head, you only control your actions. If you're not sexually "normal", the best you could hope for is that you're attracted to someone of the same sex. At least nowadays people are coming around to the fact that if two consenting adults want to be in a relationship, that it should be accepted, despite any social stigmas more self-righteous people would try to attach to it. To be attracted to children, however, must be a horrible demon to live with, but I wouldn't hold it against someone who controlled themselves. The key word is "consent". A child cannot consent to anything, so I don't care what NAMBLA says, they can suck it...Actually, scratch that...Actually, forget that too.
What I'm trying to say is if I somehow knew he had urges, but controlled them, I would still be his friend. I would still give him a hug if I bumped into him on the street...But he didn't. He took advantage of and harmed at least one child. Now I'd pretend I didn't see him, and if he approached me, I'd tell him to fuck off. I'd tell him he belonged behind bars. Those fond memories I'd once had of him are now something very different.
Jim apologized for giving me the impression that they were all talking behind my back. I think I know what he did. Back when Pete's girlfriend, Christina, was basically living with us (sleeping over, showering, doing laundry, vegging out in front of the TV) and not paying any rent, Jim pulled me aside and asked me if it bothered me. I said "no"...I was lying, but I didn't want any drama in what was otherwise one of the better living situations I've had. I realized he was looking for backup before he confronted her about it. That's probably basically what he did here. He thought I wasn't contributing enough, mentioned it to the others, and if he got so much as a "Yeah, I guess so," he turned it into "We all feel like we're being taken advantage of". While I think living there and not paying rent is miles apart from cleaning up only after yourself, I'm glad this will all (hopefully) pass, with some extra effort on my part.
------------------------
On a shittier note, I found out something disturbing about an old friend. Kevin was a guy I used to pal around with at the deli I worked at during college. He was great fun. He reminded me of Will Sasso, in sense of humor and physical presence. While he was good for morale when he was there, he was one of those guys that called in sick all the time, what seemed like once a week. It was plain to see from his behavior, weight, and the fact that he was usually hung over in the mornings, that he didn't have a lot of discipline. Also, he had to get a ride in to work all the time, because he couldn't get a license due to some irresponsible behavior, without forking over $600.00 dollars he didn't have. He couldn't pay it off in installments either, because he couldn't get a credit card or loan because of bad credit. Yeah, he was a good guy, but he definitely had his faults, out there enough for everyone to see...Or at least that's what I thought.
Little did I know what lurked beneath the surface. I was at my second job, concierging at a time share resort during the off-season, and was flipping the channels on the TV in the lobby. I caught a glimpse of a picture that looked like my old friend, Kevin, and backtracked to the channel I saw him. He was on the local public access channel. I realized right away it was that bulletin board program where they list all the town business, meetings and whatnot, and Kevin was being showed as part of the list of registered sex offenders in the area.
"He probably told a dirty joke within earshot of a mother and her kid. People are so touchy these days!" was my first thought. Denial is a bitch. I left it alone for a little bit before curiosity overwhelmed me, and I did a search on his name. I found a couple news stories in the local paper with more detail. Turns out he was convicted twice in 2009 of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and was picked up on a count of child rape in 2008. Needless to say I was blown away. I knew my friend had issues, but the degree of darkness I was completely unaware of. Moreover, I was shocked that he wasn't in prison. It said in the paper he was deemed at a high risk to re-offend. WTF??
I don't judge people based on who or what they're sexually attracted to. You don't control the thoughts that come into your head, you only control your actions. If you're not sexually "normal", the best you could hope for is that you're attracted to someone of the same sex. At least nowadays people are coming around to the fact that if two consenting adults want to be in a relationship, that it should be accepted, despite any social stigmas more self-righteous people would try to attach to it. To be attracted to children, however, must be a horrible demon to live with, but I wouldn't hold it against someone who controlled themselves. The key word is "consent". A child cannot consent to anything, so I don't care what NAMBLA says, they can suck it...Actually, scratch that...Actually, forget that too.
What I'm trying to say is if I somehow knew he had urges, but controlled them, I would still be his friend. I would still give him a hug if I bumped into him on the street...But he didn't. He took advantage of and harmed at least one child. Now I'd pretend I didn't see him, and if he approached me, I'd tell him to fuck off. I'd tell him he belonged behind bars. Those fond memories I'd once had of him are now something very different.
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