Letter to the Landlord

Hi Mauricio,

I just tried to call you, but, again, am having trouble with the public phones here. I tried your cell: 322-170-1691-- no connection! Then I tried your wife's cell (that my notes from you show as your office number): 332-221-2998, which I've reached before, thinking even though she has poor English, she would get it for you to contact me. But the phone gave a brief busy signal and then disconnected me after a recording I did not understand. I was going to try it again, but my Banco de Mexico pre-paid phone card, which had just shown 70+ pesos credit twice, was deemed "invalid". What to do???

Email!

Anyway, yesterday, someone shoved a CFE electric bill under the door. Addressed to

Pedro Rosales D
Rio Colorado 172
Lopez Mateos 48340
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
Mexico

It is in the amount of 59.37 pesos.

Is this my address for mail from the States and elsewhere? My door is actually on the other street. Inquiring minds have wanted to know. Also, the cross street (for those interested) is Rio Usumacinta. I suppose when I move upstairs this will be my address but with addition of apartment number? I notice that some of the apartments have been re-numbered at least twice since you first showed me the building. Is this done on a regular or irregular basis? Will I be subject to constantly changing apartment number -- like musical chairs?

As long as I recognize my front door, I'm sure I'll be fine, and I rather like this system. Reminds me of "cloak n' daggers" and hiding people from the corrupted and uncorrupted police.

And speaking of those whose apartment numbers have changed, the guy you had show me apartments -- he lives at the top of the first flight of stairs with his mother (I think), behind the farther in of the two doors. At the moment, his number is completely painted over, although he's previously had two different numbers. He's a fine fellow -- about 6' 3", heavy of build, but not fat, about 35-42 years old, and works as a security guard at night. He has always been very kind to me, and in fact, when the 066 police and Tourista Police (and about two dozen neighbors as well) were here when I thought I needed help getting that psychopath, Enrique Rojas, out of my apartment, he talked me down (via barely disguised threat -- or so it seemed to me) from pressing charges.

But what is truly astonishing to me, is that just last night, I crossed paths with him as I was going to the roof to watch sunset, and I asked if he'd heard from you yesterday. You had promised the day before, when we saw you, that you would deliver the refrigerator, internet connection equipment, and show me how to work the air conditioning (and maybe bring the TV you had originally offered as well). But you didn't show up or email me yet at all!

He vaguely remembered that you had been here the previous day. At least the new tenant, who is a lawyer, and her daughter, a law student, saw you here two days ago, too. I DID witness your taking the big guy's rent (which he had told me you were over a week late in picking up -- glad you have no money worries and can get my top-floor apartment completed soon!!! Your workman said he had everything and could do the work in only two days once given the go-ahead). This big guy and security guard had NO memory of the police having been here or of talking me down from filing charges against Enrique!!! I DID refresh his memory, which he uncomfortably resisted.

So what gives here? Am I to use logic and deduce that I was moved from the Versalles apartment (which I have previously proved I was moved into by Cornelio Prada Diaz in concert with an email correspondent who goofed and let be known that he (acting for his mother), and allegedly the uncle of the guy downstairs on Calle Vienna, was in fact Rubén Fernando Gómez Merino!!!), had become intolerable, not only because nearly all the ceiling of two of the three rooms leaked whenever it rained, and the unbolted toilet dumped all its bowl-water onto the floor when one leaned right or left more than 5 degrees?

I do recall how when I was standing on the street in front of the store in your building, waiting for Enrique to emerge from his apartment across the street, you rushed up to me, exclaiming you had some apartments to show me. Is this your usual schtick? How did you know that this Gringo was looking for an apartment? I have learned that people coming TO me like this are not, as I had previously assumed, intuitive and responding to my interests and needs, but people in some kind of diabolical "know," and without exception, prove themselves to intend me harm.

I hope I am not over-mentating!

But considering that I am in a ground floor apartment with no lease (You said you had "researched me, and found I had the "highest integrity" so would not immediately require one.) it would be most convenient to have Enrique from across the street "off" me, and then quickly remove all evidence that I had ever been here. This, indeed, is what almost happened!

Or so it would seem.

And then, when I saw you in your haste (and apparent nervousness) later the same day that Enrique pummeled me, you promised to deliver the equipment you had originally promised to deliver two days after I first moved in on the following morning (yesterday, more than a week late) and never showed or called, you also said when you breezed by two days ago, that it would now be a month before the upstairs apartment is ready. Is there a new plan for my disappearance over the wall into the convenient cemetery??? I hope I don't have to wait the full month to enjoy the adventure!!!

I do also hope you understand that if this seems like "paranoia", after all I've dealt with in this town, it is (and would be to a shrink in testimony) reasonable. That said, I'd prefer to play nice as I genuinely like you, the apartment, the other tenants, and the dozens of neighbors who now often stop by to talk a bit. And given your fine personality, if you, like many others, have been leveraged by the drug-cartel people, but are basically a decent person, I have no gripes about any of this as long as we come to a reasonable new agreement -- which might include that my rental period begins when the refrigerator and internet connection equipment arrive and are in working order -- but we can negotiate.

I'm working full time now. I've contacted the Mayor of PV about planning a Tennessee Williams 100th Birthday Party in PV, and want to stay focussed in the FUTURE from now on. But I need in-house internet connection to do this well.

Please let me know via email or stopping by at your earliest convenience.

Best regards,
Scott D. Kenan

scottkenan.blogspot.com

PS: I promised Paul D. Crist, director/owner of HOTEL MERCURIO , that I would not re-visit his hotel. He prefers that I not copy him or mention him in ways he does not like, so I'm going to copy him on this to show him I wrote NOTHING that reflects badly on his business!!! Maybe he'll soon be my friend too. Ya just never know. . . .