It's not a party 'til the cops call for backup

Regular readers of my FB page are familiar with the insanity of the lower apartment here at 41 Church Street. But I really had my hopes for quiet this weekend. Thanksgiving itself came and went very quietly. (I spent Thanksgiving alone - that's a different post entirely, and not a sad and pathetic one, I promise.) The neighbors even brought me up a piece of cheesecake. (I'd intended to go downstairs to join them for coffee, but ended up spending a few hours on the phone with a friend instead. Good to catch up.)

First - some backstory. The older teenager, Josh, has taken up with a young lady who has two kids. A three year old and a baby. The lady (Caitlin? I think? It works for now.) in question essentially lives with them, and the kids live there too. Josh is trying very hard to be a patient father, but he suffers from being a teenager (and spending way too much time with the small kids and not enough working on his GED).

  Oh - and I forgot to mention. Neither kid is his - the baby, however, is his stepbrother's. James is a scumbag (according to everyone downstairs - not sure what he actually DID), but is still a part of the baby's life. And as a side bit of juicy gossip, Caitlin is still desperately in love with the stepbrother and is merely waiting for him to get his act together and take her back. That's the story around the campfire, anyway.

(Yes, Jay - Jerry Springer IS on line one. Why do you ask?)

(Side note - you ever seen an argument over how to properly install a car seat ever come to blows? With the baby in the seat? Yeah - there's some tension between Josh and James.)

So Friday morning, Caitlin dropped the baby off with James at McDonalds, and apparently spent a little too long chatting with him for Josh's liking. A fight ensued, much shouting and door-slamming, and Josh took off out of the driveway - spinning tires, squealing and roaring of engine. (Note - this is not an uncommon thing. He's a teenage boy. I'll give him a little leeway.)

Three minutes later, he comes roaring back in at top speed, and nearly ends up in the front lawn as he brakes. More shouting and slamming of doors, this time involving Dan (Josh's stepfather, and yes, James's dad), yelling at top volume with a whole bunch of cursing and posturing about ass-kicking on all sides. And Josh goes roaring out of the driveway again.

Next is Dan on the phone with Wendy (wife and Josh's mother), screaming and cursing about what an asshole Josh is, and how neighbors on both sides have complained about the roaring in and out and how it needs to stop. "YOUR SON is fucking out of control! I don't know if anyone else is going to call the cops, but I FUCKING WILL!!!!"

Another two mintues pass, and Josh comes blazing back into the driveway AGAIN. (Well, technically blazing back onto the front lawn - really overshot this time.) More yelling, more door slamming, Josh's brother AJ now getting into the yelling. And a door slammi...wait, that's not a door. That's someone slamming into a wall. Or being slammed into a wall. Over and over. Lots more yelling. And I've got my phone out now giving some serious thought to calling the police myself.

But just as I'm about to dial, Josh goes running out to the car, and takes off in a blaze of gravel again. But this time, not headed toward Main Street, but in the other direction. And it's very quiet downstairs.

I'm about to check on the downstairs (keeping in regular text with a friend who was supposed to come over that afternoon, but elected to stay in the relative peace of inner-city Rochester instead) when a LeRoy town officer shows up in official car. I figure if there are bodies downstairs he's better equipped to deal with it than I am, and I go work on making more coffee.

At the sound of grinding gravel and squealing brakes, I look back out the window, expecting to see Josh peeling back into the driveway. But no - it's Wendy, Josh's mother, nearly taking out the back end of the police car and making it halfway to the lawn herself, before jumping out and slamming the door open and shut.

"What the FUCK is she doing here?!?! Why the FUCK is SHE in my living room?!?!?!"

Very quickly I see a female officer hustle into the cruiser, close the door, and get on the radio. A minute later, a State Trooper pulls up to the curb, and the LeRoy police officer re-enters the apartment.

(My contribution to the drama - at this point, I text the landlord. "Just so you know, state trooper and leroy town officer are at Dan and Wendy's for a disturbance call. I didn't make the call." "Wonderful lol" is all I get for a response.)

Music (or movie) starts blasting really loud at this point, but eventually quiets down. (In my own mind, I'm picturing Wendy cranking the volume and closing the door while Dan is talking to the officer. But i could be wrong.)

Eventually the officer leaves, and quiet settles over the land. Creepy quiet. I eventually take Dante for a walk, but things seem to have settled out. My friend finally came over, noting, as so many others have, that I really should consider moving away from the crazy people. Josh finally returned this morning. I've heard nothing exciting so far - all quiet. We'll see how long it lasts. Happy Holidays, everyone.