You'll notice how empty this parking lot seems to be. Over the years, it has gone from being overcrowded to having enough room for visitors to find parking at any time of night. There is an ebb and flow to life in a co-op complex, and I've seen it all - or, so I've thought....
- - - - - -
When I moved into my apartment, there was a mother and daughter living in a 2br apartment in the next doorway over from me. They were a nice family unit when I met them, and in general conversation, I found out that the daughter had health issues that kept her at home. However, things changed for the worse over the years....
Shortly after I married my wife, we applied for and got a "double spot" assigned to us. We'd arrange our cars so that she blocked my exit from my spot each night. This would enable her to get out in the morning and go to work without disturbing me. The mother/daughter combination had two identical cars parked in their spots, and rarely moved them. Even in heavy snowfalls, they would not move their cars. This was the first sign that something was wrong.
Over the years, there were many signs that bothered me (and others). For example, both mother and daughter would call me because they were lonely. In one case, the mother left a 10 minute message on my answering machine saying that she had a question to ask of me. My machine ran out of tape with her meandering before she could ask me the question she claimed she wanted to ask. Another time, their new car (1 new car replaced their 2 old cars) was parked with a rear window open, and it was left that way for several weeks. Later on, the car was left in a parking spot where a storm caused a tree to fall over the car - and they did nothing. Eventually, the car had to be towed away, as they were no longer able to drive it. But this is not all. Several times, the fire department had to pay a visit to their apartment because of several fire hazards detectable from the outside. One of these times had cooking gas escaping their apartment because the pilot light went out and they couldn't smell the gas. Another one of these times had their air conditioner overheating due to an electrical fault, and almost causing a fire in my building. The last time I saw the mother, she seemed to be in the middle stages of dementia, and unable to take care of herself. Yet, adult protective services could do very little, as the mother was still barely competent enough to be allowed to live on her own. (At this time, I felt that she needed to be in assisted living, but no one would put her there.)
Recently, I found out that the mother had died and that the daughter is still living in the apartment. I was very surprised, as there are never any lights on in either of the two bedrooms, and that there are no shades or blinds on these windows. My neighbor L told me that "meals on wheels" is delivering food to the daughter, and that she is nuking the food in the one appliance she is capable of using - a microwave. Luckily for L, she is too busy with work to get sucked into the daughter's problems.....
As for me, I wish the daughter was in assisted living as well. This would mean that the apartment would be sold and that the co-op could receive a "flip tax" on its sale....
