The Old (Haunted) Apartment

Ari and I have been having a debate for a long time, and one that I am convinced won’t end. It is not unlike the one on the X-Files between Agents Mulder and Scully. Like their argument, both involve the paranormal. In their case, it was mainly aliens. Ours is a curse – and possibly a ghost – in our apartment.

I should probably explain this first. When I moved down to Long Beach, Ari and I had to find a place for us to live outside of his cruddy studio apartment. He kept looking, and eventually put down his name for what is now our current place in Lakewood. When I came to tour it, something seemed off about it. It wasn’t in the nicest of neighborhoods and it was not my cup of tea. But the landlord seemed nice, and the price for rent was good considering the area, so we went forward.

We moved in, much to the disappointment of both our sets of parents, thinking we could have done much better. And then, about a month after we moved in, things started taking a turn for the worse for us.

First there was the fact that I quit my job. Then there was running through our savings after I quit said job. Then I got a job, but shortly afterwards we found out Ari was losing his. Then he was unemployed, followed by me being unemployed eight months later. All of these cycles have led to disharmony when we are at home, but we always seem to find happiness and joy when we leave it. It seems to be a cycle that just doesn’t end.

You may say that it’s just a streak of bad luck. I wish it were, but there seem to be other mysterious goings-on. It’s cold almost all the time. When I was unemployed the first time around, there was a rapping noise coming from the next apartment – and there was no one living there and no one going in and out. There have been constant problems with our apartment, whether it’s been the electricity, the garbage disposal or any variety of bugs (ew). And every time I get up at night, simply just to go to the bathroom, I get the sense that there is someone else in the apartment. I have felt this way for over two years. So it may be a curse, but also a spiritual anomaly.

Ari refuses to believe, because ghosts are something that’s just totally impractical, right? And yet, I have friends who are incredibly reluctant to come into our apartment because they are sensing something there. A friend of mine once said to me, “Dude, I don’t believe in ghosts, but there’s something in your apartment.” And my dad, the ultimate believer in practicality, told me there are “bad vibes” coming from our building. So, despite the fact I am paranoid, it isn’t just me.

I was going to ask our landlord who lived in our apartment previously, but Ari said what the landlord told him that it was a guy who was addicted to drugs who had a hard time paying his rent, and was eventually forced out. I have no other history than that, but there seems to be other bad happenings in all the different apartments – like the apartment I toured, where the tenants left because of a divorce, or one of our former neighbors, which I suspected was a drug dealer – it seems like bad things are drawn to our place.

Mind you, we have some distinct advantages of living where we do. Our landlord, Dave, is amazing, and our neighbors can’t be beat. They are really nice people, and the kids are pretty well behaved. Not to mention the fact that our rent is still inexpensive and hasn’t been raised since we moved in, a major advantage we have had since we have both been unemployed. But how much are you willing to pay to live without a spirit anomaly?

Unfortunately, we cannot give up the ghost (or whatever may be lurking in our place) until both Ari and I have jobs, although right now one is enough to send me sprinting towards the hills and away from the spiritual anomaly in our house right now. But then there is the curse – it seems we are trapped at the moment. But I am looking forward to the day that we can move out of our place and move to Belmont Shore if we choose to stay in Long Beach or, if we go to Orange County, move down to Irvine. Because there aren’t any ghosts there – right?

So, in honor of my spiritual anomaly, I am dedicating to it a recipe. It’s a wonderful summery recipe. Maybe if I give it a recipe on the blog, it will leave me alone long enough to let me get a job.

MANGO-STRAWBERRY SALAD

1 package frozen mangos, defrosted

10 strawberries

1 small sweet onion or shallot

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

¼ cup cilantro

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper

Place the defrosted mango in a bowl. Dice the strawberries finely – the pieces should be ¼ inch. Dice the onion or shallot, and add the black beans.

Coarsely chop the cilantro and add to the mixture. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld. Serve.