Jesus...I can't believe it's been two weeks already. It's still having
trouble...really sinking in even now. Every morning I wake up kind of
expecting to be in my bedroom, in my apartment, surrounded with the
familiar smells and comforts of my old home. I guess, more like trying
to will it to be so, like if I wish hard enough maybe it'll make it real
somehow. But I always open my eyes to find I'm still in this strange
hotel, safe, but feeling uneasy. Uneasy because it's unfamiliar, alien,
with none of the comforts that really make the space feel like anything
something than transitory for better or worse
Anyway, I really have to hammer home how grateful I am to all of you who
have reached out with emotional support, as well as those who went as
far as to donate to the gofundme to further help me and my elderly
mother start to rebuild. Seriously, your kindness just blew me away, and
I can't...like it's all so much. And I don't want to undersell the
financial support because it is necessary, but...especially the
emotional support has really...like...it's been a massive help in terms
of keeping me together mentally. Knowing people care, and want to help,
it makes an insanely stressful and horrific situation a little easier to
bear.
In terms of getting back on the road....this week has been a mess. As
you are probably aware, my smart car keys were in the fire. And those
keys can only be remade at a smart dealership. Last week I had issues
just getting them to agree to start making the key without having to get
a lift an hour out to the dealership just to prove I am who I say I am.
On Tuesday, I was told my key was being made in Texas, and they believe
it was lost in the ice storm, as it was possible the Fed-ex Trailer
carrying it crashed. That made the rest of the day hard to get through,
as it was once again uncertain how I would get around. The town
resources, which had previously pledged above and beyond support to
those of us affected by the fire, basically about-faced and gave
extremely minimal help, all while acting extremely bothered by it.
Come Wednesday, after twisting their arm, the acquisitioned a taxi for
me to get to my bank and Walmart for a bit of emergency shopping.
However they neglected to tell me they had only covered the ride for 80
dollars, and that he was going to wait and leave the meter running while
I was in walmart. Thankfully I had a list, but I would have liked to
have had time to amble a bit in order to think of more things myself or
my mom might have needed. In the end , I ended up having to pay an extra
20 bucks for the ride and was furious with town resources. It wasn't
about the money, I just would have liked to know ahead of time.
Thursday the dealership told me my key arrived, which had me scrambling
to find a ride to get the keys, and finally my car. Town Hall contacted
the towing company that towed my care for free to the dealership to give
me a lift, and supposedly explained the situation. An hour later the
towing company called asking if I wanted them to just pick up my car and
bring it to the hotel. I then had to explain to them that the
dealership wouldn't give them the keys. Not only had they not been paid
for, but they won't release the car to anyone but me. The towing company
said they'd call back, and we'd get it handled. Neither them, nor the
town resources manager got back to me since.
Of course, this was actually a good thing, as on Friday I had locked up a
ride with one of my displaced neighbors, but after what happened with
the taxi, I was compelled to call the dealership to make absolutely sure
they had my keys. Of course, now they tell me they don't. They
apparently only had the remote part of my key, and that the bolt, (the
metal part) was coming from Germany. Because of that, and due to covid
issues in Europe, they had no idea how soon the bolt would arrive. At
this point...the day felt shot. I was ready to give up, just curl into a
ball and hide for a while. But since my brain refused to let me sleep, I
thought of taking the neighbor up on their offered ride, instead going
to the post office and bank.
At the post office I bought a PO box, and I was able to get my re-issued
credit cards and the advance on my renters insurance. Which, oh I
forgot, Right, I tried to buy a rental car. But they wouldn't take a
bank card or cash, only credit. So thankfully, now that I have my credit
card I will be able to get a rental car on Monday. We also contacted
some apartment places, which hopefully we will hear something my
substantial from by tomorrow.
My weekend has been largely spent starting the rather painful process of
itemizing everything that went up in the fire, which is something I've
been avoiding to some extent because...I mean, I'm afraid that doing it
will kind of...force a break down. Sketching out portions of rooms that I
remember, the furniture, the electronics, the personal effects. I can
see them in my head, I can picture them burning. Melting and cracking
and curling as the flames reduce them to nothing but ashes and warped
metal...It's already been hard, and I started with the outer rooms in an
effort to keep from losing what little composure I have too early. Had I
started with my bedroom/office, I probably would have lost it by now,
but we're building up to it, and it frightens me a bit.
Tomorrow, I have a bevy of phone calls to make. Following up with the
dealership, town resources, rent a cars, apartments, the fire Marshall,
and several other things that already have me anxious. I pray it'll all
go smoothly, but past experiences tell me otherwise.
With all that said, I still have a kitchen to itemize and some papers to
fill out before I try to go to sleep tonight. Once again, thank you all
for your continued support. And I will link the gofundme below incase
this is anyone's first time finding out about my situation.
https://gofund.me/92364f20
-Wasty
