Wasted Time
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Update: Two Weeks Out
🕑 Added 2021-02-22 00:27:47 +0000 UTCJesus...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.
-Wasty
