I met Aimee in 1988, I think it was. We worked together at a birth control/abortion clinic. She and I got on very well & we both liked to get high. High, back then, meaning pot. I did enjoy cocaine in those days too, but since neither one of us ever produced any, we would come to Mom's place after work sometimes and smoke a joint or 2 in the backyard by the pool. Mom was completely fine with my friends and I smoking pot, but I knew intuitively ONLY pot. Well ok tobacco & booze, had I wanted, but I did not. Both of us had been single, young, and this had been 3 years before her son Cody was born.
I'm not sure why we never kept in touch, or what happened, just that one day when I went to work, Aimee was no longer working there. Aimee had said it was because she couldn't handle the abortions, but I recall hearing a rumor that she got fired for stealing---a rumor that her mom, my former friend Linda verified. I had been in nursing school back then, which meant for 18 months, I had worked a full time job Mon-Fri, then went to nursing school Fri nights 5p-10p plus Sat & Sun 7a-4:30pm. Mystery solved. Outside of work and school, even at 23, I had no life & that schedule wore my ass out.
That's why I didn't keep in touch with Aimee after she & I were no longer coworkers. Fast forward to Sept 2004, I just about 40 yrs old, living in a 2 story town house, that at the time had been living alone. I had an IV meth habit to replace the pot which I long since stopped, along with cocaine, but more along the lines of what I called a "binge" user. I think I'd been off speed 5 wks, and just gotten a job with Methadone clinic #2, as usual barely managing to hang onto my town house with it's massive rent for me anyway, of $1100/mo by myself. I had had a shitty fucking day at work that day, another humiliating day of training, which I hated. Once I learn my job, I'm the fastest & the best, as long as my heart is into it, that is if I manage to survive the training.
I had thrown away a portable cooler that no longer worked, and coming home I saw a woman going to pick up the cooler I discarded & decided to warn her that she'd best drain the fucking thing of water before putting it into her car unless she was in for a literal "car pool" haha. We ended up talking a while, I knew she was a hard core user, and always feel at home talking to other addicts. This is why I attract them into my life and vice versa because with addicts, I don't have to feel the strain of trying to pretend to "be normal." At least, in the sense of being able to appear employable, and professional for obvious reasons. Still, had she not recognized me and said anything, I'd have never known who she was. "I know you from somewhere. You're name is Tanya, right? We worked together at a birth control clinic." I had worked at 2 birth control clinics, by when she told me her name, instant recognition.
We picked up our friendship, just where we left off some 16 years ealier. From then on, Aimee was in and out of prison, and since we had been neighbors, that's when I met her family. Her Mom Linda, a tweaker like me, her Grandma, Linda's Mom Nana, in her 80's at the time, and Cody, her son who had been 12 when I met him. I liked Linda immediately, and all the addict social hang out friends so long as I remembered to always watch my back, money, and my shit, haha. So while Aimee was in prison a year here or there, the place became a tweaker pad and a local hang out place for me too, after losing my place. Aimee & Linda had seen me go through alot & remained my friends from using, then being clean for 2 years, then back through my relapse, that is until Oct 15th. Sigh.
Long story short, that day was no different from any other hearing Aimee complain about something being stolen. I'd learned to tune it out. Sometimes it was true, others not cause she can't remember where she puts shit, so I wasn't even paying attention, then I hear whining, crying that $238 was missing from Aimee. Next thing I know, Linda keeps repeating over and over only 2 people could have stolen it me or her. I was freaken pissed as hell I'm probably the only person over there that DIDN'T steal, the only one that has a job, always being honest in terms of not ripping people off cause that shit pisses me off. Still, I didn't react nearly the way I would have back in 2005 or 2006---verbally violent big time. They asked me to pick up shit for them when I got mine, I did. Then I went back out to get more shit---that was owed to me since the dealer was short in my order.
I thought it was odd that Linda would be calling me asking me to go back to the house after that, but I thought, ok fine, so I did. At the house, is when the shit hit the fan and Linda just would NOT stop accusing me of stealing so I'm in shock and disbelief. Aimee is crying, she's accusing me too, so I said, "Fuck me. Ok fine we're gonna settle this shit right here, right now! I will NOT be called a goddamned thief." I insisted to Aimee we go through every single article in my purse, paper by paper. Once she agreed her money was not there, I then insisted we're going to empty all my pockets, then off came the shirt, off came the bra, the pants, and all that was on my person was the shit I'd scored for my personal $60 --my weekly maintainance, but that was it.
At this point, Aimee said, "Ok you can put your clothes back on. I'm sorry, T. I believe you already, I'm convinced." Linda on the other hand, did not want to hear, or see my proof, she walked away, but came back and said, I could have put the money in my bank account. I got on my cell phone and they verified no deposits other than what work did every Friday, that's it. Linda said it could show up tomorrow. I said fine I'll keep showing up to prove I DIDN'T FUCKING DEPOSIT A GODDAMNED THING! I insisted Aimee & I go through my car, of course no money, and of course Linda isn't interested. "You're a lousy liar, so I know you're telling the truth. I know how you act," is what Aimee kept saying. Linda was hell bent on accusing me and just as I thought she would, even if I came and proved no deposits were made, she would find some other bullshit excuse. Sure enough, Linda didn't want to hear my proof, and simply said, "You would of left it at home."
LOL. "Of course, Linda. And if I were to tell you to search my goddamned house, then you'll say, I could have left it up my neighbor's ass or stashed it in the gutter." Of course it wasn't completely lost on me that if Linda is so damn broke, she sure as hell was spun WAY too tight the next morning. Where did she all of a sudden get money for 3 grams of speed? That's how much it takes to get her that spun, her habit is 3 times mine even though mine is the needle and hers snorting. I didn't bring this up to Aimee, because she would not and does not want to believe her mom would steal from her. Maybe she didn't, but then why else would she insist upon making such a scene? All I know is that I know for a fact I didn't take the money. Thieves are there all the time. They could have, or maybe they misplaced it and forgot where they put it, I don't really care.
I was deeply, am still a bit hurt and offended, but disbelief more than anything. So, 6 years of friendship with Linda, gone just like that, she fucking turned on me. I'm not officially booted from the house, as Aimee says no I'm still her friend, and not to worry. I'm glad Aimee feels that way, but I certainly will not go back there. Whether Linda took the money herself or she's just so spun and brain dead she's convinced herself I did, in spite of evidence to the contrary, I don't know. I won't go where I'm accused of being a thief, if for no other reason than self preservation. Linda sure fucked off the only real friend out of all the vultures that hang there she ever had. So, it's pretty much a solo gig for me then. No more occasional social life. Kinda sucks.
![:\](https://bluelight.org/xf/BL_Images/Orig_Emoji/wrygrin.gif "wry grin :\")
makes me sad -- he was just getting wonderful hair in time for his class photos tomorrow. On that note I bought him dress pants and a sweater from Bonnie Togs and he should look quite dashing in them. I will be keeping my Facebook updated with photos and such but I really don't like posting photos elsewhere -- not that I feel really right about posting them anywhere but....meh whatever.
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