illusionofjoy | Encounter with the troll

I was just taking out garbage this afternoon. There were four bags which needed to be moved from within the apartment to the dumpster, which meant two trips up and down the back staircase. During the second trip, the Troll made an in-person appearance.

He was standing, holding the basement door halfway ajar when I arrived at the bottom of the stairwell. I looked at him curiously, this pathetic half-naked man with A-cup he-hooters, grey hair and a wiry pubic-like moustache standing before me. "Could you do me a favour," he said.

"Could you not use the back stairs; could you use the ones up front instead? I work nights and all that noise you're making goes right into my bedroom." The Troll was trying to make nice, except this was far too little too late. It's one thing if you ask for a "favour" within the first few days when a new tenant moves in. It is quite another when you ask the same question after being a crotchety bastard for well over a month. This same man who had harassed me when I was exhausted and taking a break and who had made snide comments from behind his door every other time I was taking out the garbage now wanted to be "neighbourly."

Fred Rogers I am not. I walked past the man, as he called back after me, "well? Maybe?" I then turned back and looked at him, nothing masking my disgust for this pitiful creature.

"I remember you," I said. He looked confused and managed to sputter out, "what," before I continued.

"I remember you; you were the guy who came up the stairs and harassed me as I was moving in. You looked at my computer desk while I was taking a break and said, 'what the hell is that.'"

"I never said anything about your computer desk," he protested.

"Yeah, I remember you," I continued, "You made a very bad first impression."

With that, I walked away to the dumpster behind the building, leaving the Troll muttering to himself – something about me being a selfish bastard, no doubt.

I do know that the Troll is a liar. When he came up the very first time, he was complaining about alleged noise at 3:00 in the morning. Should he have not been at work at that hour, assuming he does work the night shift like he claims to? As for not remembering that first exchange, I'm sure he's put a mental block on the fact that he scampered back to his cave like a little pussy when joi_division showed up.

I've worked the night shift and had to sleep during the day. If normal day sounds keep you awake, you buy a pair of earplugs and deal with it. Any shred of generosity I may have, this guy is not entitled to. I refuse to walk all the way around the front of the building to take out garbage. Everyone else in this building may supplicate to the Troll, but I refuse to. I pay to live here, I pay for those stairs, I am going to use them!