The Terminator and Ex's House

Last night I took over dog duty for the ex. We’re both traveling this month and communicated up to a point of agreeing to watch each other’s animals. This might be a good way to work on our friendship –who knows. Yesterday, I get a text from her saying that the dog is all ready for me and she left beer in the fridge and ended with don’t use dead bolt lock because it sticks on the door.

I can remember what places look like in great detail but not the name of a street I take everyday. The same goes with people I can remember a certain shirt someone has worn before, the details of a piece of jewelry they have on and the brand of shoes they are wearing despite not remembering their name five minutes later. So, here I am doing a mental scan of ex’s doors. It’s like the Terminator doing the digital scan in his brain. I am remembering that she has dead bolts on both doors and no handle locks unless she changed the door hardware.

Yes, that must be it. She changed the door hardware.

I pull up to her house and the scan is going. New shelter over her bike – nice. Same plant at the front door, ok. I go to the front door – same lock. Ok maybe she wants me to go tin through the back door. I go around and unlock the back door – nothing – the bottom lock is thrown from the inside so I can’t get in. Ok, back to the front door and get in – thankfully. I text her that I’m in and ask her about the locks.

Letting the dog out I do my scan. New bookshelf, slightly dead flowers in a vase – Hmm, wonder who those are from – who would we know that might buy her flowers because I know that she wouldn’t just go out and get them herself. There’s a new plant – mental note to water the plants, too. I walk to the dining room – a lot of pottery on the table – must not be dating anyone to have made all this pottery at the studio. New cabinet in the corner to hold even more pottery – definitely not getting any – now I don’t feel so bad. Into the kitchen – it all still looks the same. Should have gotten me to tile the floor for you while we were together – too bad now. Open the fridge – yes, beer in there but the kind she drinks and the leftover beer from British friend that’s been in there since we were together. Maybe I will drink a can of her beer on the porch while I throw the ball to the dog. Little notes wrote about what to take on her trip – some things never change.

I walk through touch the things I am familiar with soak in the things that are new. But, all in all not much has changed and that depresses me for some reason. Down the hall – the bedroom door is closed because the dog would sleep on the bed everyday if not. I open it quickly and do a scan – hey, just checking for robbers – no big deal. New clothes hamper - is that my shirt over there? I close the door without going in. Let the dog in, give her a milk bone and leave.

Ok, so I made it through the initial scan and being in her house again. I have not been there in almost 5 months. It was good to see the dog – not sure about the rest. I wonder if she will do the same scan of my house next week when she takes care of my cats.