Gastric flu sucks and neighbours

Hello everyone!!!!

I am writing from my flat in a hoodie, trackie bottoms, vest, no bra looking and feeling like I have been hit by a truck. This sucks royally!

It all started at 2am yesterday morning when one of my neighbours decided to drive into the car park of the apartment complex where I live blasting his music really loudly.  And I couldn’t get back to sleep.  At all.  I was tired but couldn’t sleep.  So I when I finally ended up getting back to sleep, I slept in and woke up a bit later than normal.  I had a shower, didn’t bother washing my hair, threw on a pair of black trousers, a tunic, pulled my hair back, no make-up on, plus wearing a pair of ballet flats (God I feel dirty!) to find that the CEO of the company I work for has decided to come in today…I looked rough.  Very rough!!! Great! If only he came in on Tuesday because I looked good…and I mean really good!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!  Plus I am giving up caffeine so yesterday was very interesting.

Well that kind of brings me into today’s topic, neighbours.

I live in an apartment complex on the edge of Manchester city centre.  I have the canal, bars, restaurants and museums on my doorstep which means that every weekend brings a new adventure.  I like that.

I have a small apartment but I like to think that I have decorated it and made use of the space that I have available.  It’s my own little corner of the world, my place to feel safe.  It’s usually quiet (Tuesday morning's shenanigans are very rare) and I am so lucky because the wing of the block of flats that I live in, I have only two neighbours.  And I have hit the neighbour lottery with them.  They are both fabulous!

Neighbour number one I hold in very high regard.  Andrea* is literally the nicest, sweetest, kindest, most loveliest human being I have ever had the pleasure to encounter. 

I was living in the apartment above her back a few years ago.  I had just thrown my ex boyfriend out and I was quite literally all alone.  I felt so scared and felt like I didn’t have a friend in the world.  One Friday night, I was all wrapped up in my dressing gown, pigging out on Ben and Jerry’s feeling sorry for myself and then I heard a knock on my door.  I opened the door and there was Andrea.  She said, I think that your bathroom is leaking into my bathroom.  I then burst into tears.   She came in and comforted me.  Held me as I cried.  I didn’t know how I was going to afford my flat and I just felt like the lowest of the low.  She said I have a spare room you can move in there?  So I packed my things when my lease was up and I moved in with her. 

We had the best time!  We never argued, had a laugh and a great friendship grew.  We were there for each other and I now consider dear Andrea as one of my closest and dearest friends. 

Then she moved her boyfriend in….her boyfriend is an absolute dick.  He’s cheated on her, lied to her, and basically she is his maid.  When I was living there, he tried to make both Andrea and me his personal tea making machine.  That stopped very quickly.  I would hear their arguments and screaming matches and wonder how I kept my mouth shut.  I have kindly told her how I feel but she insisted on going on with this.  I then made the decision to move out.

The apartment next door was going and so I thought, why not!  So I did!  And I have been there ever since. 

My other neighbour is a lovely girl from Newcastle named Laura*.  She’s like a little sister to me.  She is well travelled, strong and unfortunately moving away from me at the end of the month.  Gutted. 

We said we'd still keep in touch and we have a few nights out planned. But I'll miss our football and takeaway Sundays, going for runs together, how she in her own way puts things into perspective for me. She has held me when I cried, laughs at my corny jokes, and the favour is always returned. When she lost her baby I held her when she cried and reassured her, I helped her through her problems with her boyfriend and helped her pick outfits out before going out on the town. God I will miss her.

But you never know...I might get another fab neighbour or better yet...that Fittie from the diet coke commercial!!! All I know is that I have made great friends that I will have for life.

And a new chapter will open, so fingers crossed it's the Fittie from the diet coke advert...

Lots of love

Betty Rage