Leave People Alone

            A third time, Tony got on my nerves. I told him he had to stop and he did not have any right to be rude and mean to me. Tony did not stop and said, “When you work on foods, you smell nasty but you do not feel it.” He said that because I was working at Wendy’s at that time. I answered sarcastically, “Do you have another better job for me? I do not mind just staying at home if you are going to support me and pay my rent and bills. Tony answered, “That is America man! If you do not do it yourself, nobody is going to do it to you”. I answered, “Really! Is that America?! I did not know that man. Thank you for giving me that valuable piece of information.”

            Tony once again threw my food and grocery that was in the kitchen cupboard in the garbage next to the back door of the house. I waited for him but he did not show up for a long time. He also put a nasty remark on the refrigerator. I called the landlord to tell him. I left him a phone message without ever getting any response back from him. Moreover, Tony once again gave two of my pans to Norman (Norm), a third housemate to feed and water his dog in them. If Tony or Norm had asked me, I would have given them the pans myself or found anything else for the dog. I love dogs and pets and care about them so much.

            Situations continued like that until we had to move from that house. A few days before moving, I found an official note from the landlord, telling me he was going to take me to court if I did not move. I asked another tenant whose room had its own door in the back of the house about that note and if he had one. He answered, “Yes, he left me a note but a politer and nicer one. He did not mention court or anything like that.”

            Before these entire situations, I went to Texas for a while to try my luck there. I had a friend whose name was Glenda. Glenda told me that there were many chances for work in Texas. I went there, trying my luck for about 10 days. Things did not work there for me. Therefore, I went back to Michigan and worked at Wendy’s again where I used to work while being a student at Eastern Michigan University. This time, I worked at a different store with the help of my dear friends Shawn Cwyaner and Mahdi Huwio.

            While being in Texas waiting for the first bus, which was supposed to take me back to Dallas before taking several other buses until reaching Ann Arbor, Michigan, the bus was more than one hour late and it was during one of the sunniest and hottest hours in the Summer of 2002. I kept waiting and waiting and Glenda was waiting with me to say goodbye. Finally, the bus arrived. I waited for about five minutes; the driver did not come down. I opened the side of the bus and put my baggage. Then, the driver showed up, seized the opportunity, and started shouting at me saying, “Did you put luggage in my bus?” I answered, “I waited for you sir to come down. You did not come. I thought it was alright then to put my luggage.” The driver then said to me, “Take your baggage down and get off my bus.” I tried to explain to him that I did nothing wrong. I even apologized to him saying I am sorry if that was inconvenient. He repeated it very loudly in front of Glenda and everyone in the bus more than 10 times, “Get off my bus.”