Paula was a big Indian lady; a gentle giant. She owned a house on Beaver street, right next to downtown. It was an old house with chipped white paint, and a big shrub growing in the front that blocked her view from the street like a big green wall. In the back there was a huge Grapefruit tree, it was tall with thick branches, and big healthy green leaves, the trunk was thick, and grey. There were so many grapefruits growing on it, that the birds could not even eat them all. They would fall off the tree and start to rot. It would smell like the valley back home, when all the vineyards were making wine. Once the fruit began to rot, and the mold began to eat it, Paula would have to pick them all up.
Paula would sit in her house all day, smoking Marlboro 100's in her big green chair, in front of her big-screen television; and watch soap operas, game shows, and the Food Network. Twice a week she would play bingo down at the Vets Hall. She always said that was one of her favorite things to do; and probably one of the only times she ever left her chair. Hanging all over the walls of the house she had pictures of wolves howling at the moon, and dream catchers in a variety of sizes.
Paula had a daughter named Athena who lived with her. Athena shared her room with her boyfriend Joe. Joe and Athena told me that Athena was the Greek Goddess of beauty. I found that strange, as Athena was not attractive in the least, so I figured her beauty was to be found within. And it was, she was a very nice person. Then I learned that Athena was not the Goddess of beauty, but of wisdom; which made sense because the Athena I knew had way more brains than beauty.
There was a basement under Paula's house. There were no lights so it was like the darkest night with no stars. The ceiling was so low that when you were standing you had to stoop a little bit so your head would not touch the ceiling. The basement ran the whole length of the house so it was big. Paula decided to break it up into two separate rooms, and rent them out. She put up some old pieces of plywood to separate the rooms. In other pieces of wood she cut a square piece out of the center and screwed it back on with hinges, so it became the front door to your room. The part of the basement, which was not divided into a room had a refrigerator, and a microwave for the tenants down stairs under her house. But if you had to use the bathroom, you had to walk upstairs. The bathroom was close to where Paula always sat in her big green chair, and sometimes you would run into her; which was not always a good thing...like say, if you were behind on rent.
One room in the basement was occupied by a single mother, and her two small children. I rented the other one. My mother met a man online and married him and moved to the east bay. I made the choice to stay (I do not know why), and moved in with Grandma. Grandma got mad and kicked me out because I used her change to buy cigarettes. I worked with Joe in a kitchen. He was a dishwasher. Scott, his roommate and fellow dishwasher, was moving back to Brooklyn. Joe talked to Paula and she said I could rent Scott's old room in the basement for $200 a month.
The room was painted deep sea blue, I felt like I was living under water, the room had a single window at ground level that looked into the gravel driveway. It was more like a compartment than a room, and I sometimes get claustrophobic. I did have a nice view of one of my roommate's car's rear tire, though.
The underwater room was furnished when I moved in. It had a bed, and a dresser with an old television set and a lamp on it. There were even book cases for all of my books. I had a N64, I walked up to Hi-Tech Game Center and bought Jet Force Gemini, and since there was no cable in my room, that is all I used the television for.
Even though I had been on my own for years, this was the first time I was on my own with responsibilities; like paying rent, working, and just basically feeding myself. I was sixteen. I really tried hard to just make the best of it.
Paula knew some guy named Zack, he was a scurvy, greasy old tweeker dude, with rotting teeth. And he was going bald. I got to know him and he seemed nice enough. One time he told me he could get me some weed cheap, so I ended up walking all over Santa Rosa with him at night until we got some. He also used to come over late at night and start cursing at Paula; calling her a cunt, and a bitch...and just being a real jack-ass. I really lost a lot of respect for the guy after that, showing so much disrespect to the woman who let him crash at her house for free. Every time he did it Paula would always apologize for him and make excuses because he was a drunk. Yeah, I would say, I know how it is. I would see Zack after that around town, or on the bus; but I never said hi, or talked to him anymore.
I was on my way to pay rent. The money I had was from the last paycheck I got from the kitchen. They fired me. It could have been for a number of reasons; I was getting stoned during brakes, and stealing food from the kitchen and bringing it home, and I was just a slacker in general. I cashed the check and was walking home from down town. I ran into some guy I knew, I offered to smoke him out, since I ha some weed. I hopped into his ride and we were off. The money I used to buy the weed was my food money. But I did not give a fuck; I had money to pay rent, weed, and it was a clear bright spring day, I was glad just to be alive for the moment. I reached into my sock, that is where I kept the green- my money and my weed. We smoked a bowl or two and he dropped me off at home. I went down to my room. When I reached in my sock to go pay rent my money was gone; it fell out of my sock when I went to retrieve the weed in dude's car. I never saw him again in my life. I had to explain to Paula how I lost her money. She was unhappy, but graciously gave me another month to pay; at which point I would owe her $400. She would use all my shit in the room as collateral.
My friend was on the run. I let him and his girl live underwater with me so he could hide out. He stashed the gun he used in a robbery in my dresser. We ate canned beef stew that I got from the food bank, and smoked cigarettes. He got caught again. He was the first minor to be tried as an adult in the state. It was front page news. I took the gun he stashed and sold it for some weed that I got from my friend Adolf; he was a Marine. Adolf's father had passed away, he was buried in the same cemetery that my friend was; out in Sonoma off Broadway.
I moved out shortly after that, back up to the surface.
I still drive by sometimes, and wonder if Paula still lives there, and if she would even remember me. She was so surprised when I came back with her money so I could get my shit.
Most people usually just take off, she laughed as I put the money in her hand.
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