The bitch upstairs

Had an interesting evening last night. Around 11:30pm-ish my noisy neighbours downstairs decided to revert back to their primitive ways and were partying. Loudly. Beyond music so loud I could sing along, some of the girls were down in the courtyard shrieking and "playing" in the rain, drinking beer, chasing each other - you know, as if they are the only ones who live here.

I realize it was Saturday night and I hate to be one of "those" people but it was going on midnight, I was knackered having been up since 5:45am and working all day and wanted to go to bed. I knew if I didn't do something about the noise I'd never get to sleep and I'd just get angrier and angrier.

Here's my problem: I don't like confrontations. I especially don't like knocking on some stranger's door, knowing there's a room full of teenie meanies who are drunk and obnoxious to complain about the noise only to know that when I leave they'll mock me and carry on. What's more, I shouldn't have to put up with that. It's after 10pm and the apartment rules are clear on noise after 10.

So once again I called the police. This would be the third time I had to resort to that with them. It's always late at night and sometimes it's in the middle of the week during the school year when they get loud like this. I can't call the landlord because they have no afterhours number. So I have to call the cops and all I want the cops to do is freak them out a little and get them to either move the party somewhere else or break it up or make them keep it down.

An because I'm nosey I listen to every word the cops say to them both on the balcony and out in the hall. I just want to know the outcome basically so I can work out if it's ok to go to bed and you know, sleep and stuff or if I'm in for more noise and a second call to the cops. Besides, the first time I called the cops on them it was 3am and they were having some kind of orgy in the shower with 2 girls and 2 guys and when the cop heard that the bastard began flirting with the girls. I was livid.

But this time they sent Officer McHardass. But to backtrack a little, my daughter heard the girls shout to her friends to bolt because the cops were here. And there was a mad dash to get to the basement and out the back door by a bunch of people. So when McHardass showed up they lied through their teeth and said there were just the three girls there having a night in.

They then proceeded to spew a string of lies and a litany of their virtues to get themselves out of trouble because the cop was going to bust them for drinking underage. They told them the 'fucking bitch' upstairs is harassing them, that I call the cops on them if they sneeze too loud, that I have parties all the time (HA!) and they never call the cops on me, that I stomp around at 6am every morning (oh I'm sorry was my getting ready for work BOTHERING you?) and that was some of the nicer things they mentioned. Then they broke out the, 'I'm a good person; we were just playing in the rain; we didn't even have music on (*cough* bullshit *cough*). Then it just spiraled into some of the funniest sob story stuff I think I've ever heard.

One of the girls was loaded. Just completely out of her tree drunk. She started giving attitude to the cops which, of course, they did not take kindly to and eventually I believe she was arrested. But did she ever put up a fight. First, while the police were sorting out the alcohol, she was out on the balcony sobbing. Big blubbering sobs that were so fake it was amusing. She would go from crocodile tears to normal conversation mode in the blink of an eye with nary a catch in her voice as she spoke. Then she actually did start crying for real when she began feeling very sorry for herself. And she actually said, "Why me God?" Because you're a fucking moron, that's why. Somewhere in the distance, a man began to sing mournfully, "No-boooody knows... the trouble I've seeeeen..."

And then she began to repeat a bunch of Hail Mary prayers along any other prayer that popped into her little head. Over and over she prayed for God to get her out of this dumb situation she found herself in. She worked herself into quite the frenzy. She then began blabbering to McHardass that she was just getting her life together, that she'd been through so much (which apparently included about 6 months in juvey for alcohol-related trouble) and that she shouldn't have to go through this again. She was a straight-A student, she'd been a cheerleader, a choir member and on and on went her virtues.

Then she bolted. She went out the door and started walking down the street. What she didn't know was that the McHardass' partner had left that way and was apparently ready for her because the next thing we heard were a bunch of violent shrieks as he tried to subdue her. Man, she screamed bloody murder. People came outside to watch the show.

Anyway, eventually the cops left with all of their beer. The girl who lives in the apartment wasn't cited I guess because the liquor wasn't hers although everyone there drinking it was underage. And also after the cops left all the party people who bolted came right back and they began talking about the whole thing, loudly, on the balcony (which is right below my bedroom window.)

When I call the landlord on Monday to tell her about this whole incident, they will probably be evicted. Do I feel bad about it? Part of me does. I don't want to be crabby neighbour and I'm certainly not much of a bitch - unless you break the rules, disrupt my peace or invade my space. Then I guess I can be. But I was young. I know what it's like to be at a party that's busted by the cops. It's scary.

I might even have felt some sympathy for them when I realized it was going to be a bigger situation then a simple warning to keep the noise down. That is, until they started slandering me, making up lies and saying just about outrageous thing they could think of about me and my kid to get themselves out of trouble. Then they lost any sympathy I might have given them. Now I just want them gone and perhaps in the next place they move to, they'll learn to have some respect for their neighbours.

I guess my only worry now is retaliation which I wouldn't put past them - but they'd have to be the biggest morons on the planet not to realize anything they do to damage my property (I'm thinking of my car and Shan's bike which are downstairs and out of my eyesight) would lead right to them because they will be the first people I suspect. So I figure the most they'd do is confront me in the hall some time. I'd hate it but I've got the landlord, the tenant rules, a record of their disturbing the peace, and the fact that I've been a good tenant here for almost 7 years on my side. They've been here a few months, they're always in trouble with the landlord for trashing the courtyard and smoking in the halls and of course the calls to the cops.

The lesson? Don't fuck with me after 10pm.