The Crazy-Vieja Tenant

(Image generated with askai; autthor's prompt)

Once upon a time, in one of those days of the month known as the longest, people often say: "You’re long… like the month of May." Perhaps it’s more due to the heat that characterizes May, compounded by the 31 days on the calendar.
The landlord had anticipated that his wife would not be accepted to rent to that old woman, for she was an old and somewhat crazy woman. Sometimes she talks to herself and yells when she gets angry. With robust features reminiscent of an indigenous woman from the eastern lands, she arrived in the prosperous city with the talent of a dancer and perhaps the classic need of families to receive help from abroad. It must have been that she was once a beauty. She arrived with a work visa and was fortunate enough to marry a Chinese businessman, who passed away a few years later. Her husband kept her away from drugs and helped her to recover. We can imagine she achieved a lot.

Unfortunately, the drugs she had consumed left her mind a bit fried, and though her body still holds strength, it bears the marks of her days of addiction, particularly a dark patch on her back. She works as a dishwasher in a restaurant, typically handling the evening shift. Often, she arrives just before midnight or sometimes in the early hours of the day. Her loud entrances sometimes disturb the landlord’s sleep.

She has the bad habit of arriving and immediately putting clothes in the washing machine, causing many nights to be broken by the rhythmic thumping of the washer. She is the only one who makes the machine overflow with water. Despite being warned to be careful and not to overload it, she pays no heed.

One day, the landlord removed the fuse from the washing machine’s outlet, a small cartridge that protects the appliance in case of a surge. This worked for that night. On another occasion, feeling tired, the landlord decided to do the same. Unfortunately, the fuse he removed was for the refrigerator. Oh God, everything was thawing for the next day! Luckily, his wife noticed in time and fixed it, seeing the fuse on the shelf.

Over time, the landlord discovered why the washing machine overflowed. She used so much detergent that the poor machine ended up spilling soapy water, much like pots boiling over with soup or stew. In the end, the clothes remained soapy, necessitating another washing cycle.

As time passed, the landlord began to feel a certain compassion for her. Although she was a bit crazy, talking to herself, getting angry, and yelling, she was the only tenant who paid the rent on time, along with her water and electricity bills.

And so, this story, which is indeed a real tale, comes to mind due to an incident that truly disgusted the landlord. This moment shattered the compassion he had been harboring.

On one of those nights, midnight passed, and he still hadn’t slept. Usually, she bathes around nine or ten at night, allowing her to relax before bed. He tried to take a shower, but the Crazy-Vieja was in the bathroom, washing and washing clothes. She was shaking and shaking them. It was the early minutes of a Monday…

“Midnight has passed again,” he thought. The calendar now marked Monday. He wanted to take a shower as usual before sleeping.

Otherwise, the humidity becomes unpleasant as the night progresses. The hot, humid weather is a bit uncomfortable during this time of year, and it has barely begun.

He managed to wash his feet and face quickly. However, the disgusting Crazy-Vieja left behind a pair of pants she started washing. It turned out they were all soiled, with remnants of feces stuck to them. His first thought was that it was poop, but he reassured himself, "No, it looks like dog food."

After a while, as he was urinating, the stench of feces hit him. “Oh God, how does this old woman soil her pants, and worse yet, she leaves them in the sink?” he thought.

Oh God, the scene was horrible. He quickly washed his feet and face, and then, with his teeth brushed outside the bathroom in the kitchen, he ran out. He had no desire to shower now. He hoped that by morning, her soiled pants would be gone.

The next morning, the other tenant, who usually bathes first, told him to ask the Crazy-Vieja to clean the bathroom, as there was feces on the floor… “Yuck,” he thought again.

Fortunately, the following month, the entire apartment had to be vacated due to the building being bought for demolition. And so, the Crazy-Vieja continued on her way. Who knows if she found somewhere to live or if she returned to the streets like she had been before.

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