Apr 22 2010

The Christina Chronicles: The Ambush

It started out like any normal Sunday, if normal to you means being awakened at 8:30 am by an unexpected knocking at the door.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Henry said, after craning his neck around the bedroom blinds  to get a glimpse of the knocker. “It’s Christina.”

He might as well have said it was a pan of cooked onions, an iceberg, a water tower, an entire dead-body filled river. Because that was how disgusted and full of dread I felt to learn that one of my least favorite things was sullying my front porch right there at that moment. Suddenly, I felt very unsafe. Suddenly, 300 miles didn’t seem very far.

All those weeks of lamenting that she was so far away, and suddenly – she was entirely too close.

Since we had “broken up,” we had attempted to remain friendly, but phone conversations mostly unraveled into her whining and me getting really fucking pissed off. The past couple days, she kept suggesting that we hang out in person, that maybe it would make me see that we should be together. I was pretty sure that all that would accomplish was me punching her in the face.

“Just let me come there,” she’d cry. “I just need to see.”

See what? The weathered veneer of my front door?

While I was having a panic attack in my bed, she was still outside knocking on the door.

“I’ll handle this,” Henry said, clearly at the end of his rope with this whole girl-on-girl Lifetime drama.

“Don’t make her cry!” I called to him as he reached the bottom of the steps. By this time, the knocking had woken Henry’s kids, who came into my room and hid with me on the floor. I still don’t know why I was hiding on the floor. She couldn’t see my bedroom from the front porch. But it made me feel safer down there. Words can’t properly convey the other emotions sucker-punching me.

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But I felt violated! Like I was visitationally raped.

“Is that the weird girl who was just here from Ohio?” Robbie asked.

“Why is she here again?” Blake wanted to know, and I was at a complete loss for words. I couldn’t tell a 10- and 12-year-old that, “Oh, it’s nothing really. She’s just a crazy lesbian who I led on for a few weeks and she’s probably here to shoot your father.”

After a few minutes, I heard the door close. Henry came back up to the bedroom with a letter, a bottle of Propel, and two CDs: James Taylor and KC and the Sunshine Band.

“She claims she came all this way just to bring you this stuff.”

I sat on the bed and looked at the CDs. Sure, I like James Taylor as much as any grocery store sound-system, but KC and the Sunshine Band? I looked at Henry quizzically.

He shrugged. “Who knows with her. That girl has some major problems, Erin.” And he proceeded to tell me how he lectured her on the front porch.

“Did you make her cry?” I asked accusingly. I didn’t want him to make her cry.  “You made her cry.”

“Well, I didn’t yell at her,” he said exasperatedly. “But I was stern. I had to be. She’s nuts, Erin.” During the big show down, which sounded more like a meltdown to me, he drilled it into her head that I was with him, and that I was not going to leave him for her, and that if she ever wanted to remain friends with me, she was going to have to understand that and let it go. She tried to convince him that that was why she came here, to prove to me that she my friend.

“And so I asked her, ‘Don’t you think this looks weird? Don’t you think this is going to freak Erin out?'” Henry relayed. “It’s not like she drove here from across town. She had to have left Cincinnati around 3:00 am to come here. Who does that? That’s a little unstable,” he went on. I felt like I was talking to my dad, but it was comforting all the same. What if Henry hadn’t been home? I shivered a little.Think back to the time you crouched behind your locked door when the Jehovah’s Witnesses came calling, flapping their literature in the wind. Now, add to that the way you felt when you learned you lived next to a halfway house for sex offenders. Got that? So, multiply that stomach-churning, genital shielding sensation with the way you felt the last time you hid behind a tree at Camp Crystal Lake while Jason Voorhees stood six feet away, wielding a whirring chainsaw, sniffing the air for the wafting stench of your soiled panties and fear-induced pit-sweat.

And now you know how I felt that morning, as I sat in my room with my knees drawn in close to my chest, reading Christina’s letter while Henry lectured me about laying in the bed I made for myself.

ambushletter

3:06am: So – I’m leaving my house right now. I’m coming to bring you your CDs. I don’t even know why I’m doing this. I’m so scared. I’m sweating and my heart feels like it’s going to explode. It’s kind scary feeling. To be honest…I DO know why I’m doing this. I love you. And…I miss you.

3:15am: I’m still so close to home. Should I chicken out? no.

I didn’t even know I still had this. I actually forgot it existed, really. But I found it in December, about a month after our friendship ended, when I was cleaning out a dresser drawer. I felt sick and repulsed when I saw it, much like I did all those years ago. To be honest, I didn’t even re-read it, just sort of tossed it aside. I’m glad to still have it now though, if only for the sake of this story.

5:58am: I keep thinking about you – and what you’re going to do. Just don’t hate me. I love you, Erin. I want you to see that. I hope this proves it to you, too. OK- back to the trip. See you soon.

Well, Christina, what would you do if someone invaded your privacy?

7:23am: We’re like 2 miles from West Virginia and I’m so panicky now. My heart is crashing against my chest. I know we’re so close now. I feel like I’m going to puke now.

Guess who the other part of the “we” was? Sylvia. Hahahaha. What a dumb bitch. “Yeah, I’ll take the girl I love more than anything to see the girl she loves more than anything.” What a spineless ginger cow. Although, she had to have known it was going to blow up in Christina’s face. Maybe she had hoped this would be it, that I would never talk to Christina after that, and then for Sylvia, it would be smooth sailing in an Erin-less sea.

It’s not that I”m afraid of you or anything. I guess I’m more afraid of your reaction. Of course I’m running all sorts of scenarios through my head. The one I think I’m most afraid of is you slamming the door in my face. Not that I really think you’d do that —

Does she not know me at all?

— but God, I really think you’ll be very surprised. I guess I’ll see very soon, won’t I? I love you, Erin. I can’t wait to see you.

7:36am: Pennsylvania just welcomed me. I hope you do too, haha. I’m always so good at playing it cool. But…for some reason, when it comes to you, I can’t maintain my composure. You shake me.

7:44am: I’m so close right now. My blood is rushing all throughout my body, but I can’t feel anything. I keep thinking that I’m going to wake up.

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This isn’t a dream though. I’m almost there. I want to pass out – literally. This like, one of the craziest things I’ve ever done. You drive me crazy though, so I guess this makes sense.

7:57am: Whew…I’m probably…20 minutes from you or something. I hope you’re awake, hoe. I’m so scared that you’re going to be mad at me. Just chock it up to the romantic in me…or something. I wonder if this trip is a metaphor for this experience. I started out late at night…kinda secretly. I hope that by the end of this trip…I’ll be in the light. I’ll know. Maybe — I’ll understand. I’m totally overwhelmed right now. It proves to me that not telling you was a good idea. Otherwise, I could only imagine what you’d be like. I’m practically pulling out my hair. You’d be pulling your whole face off. Seriously. Just kidding, but I do sort of feel brave. I love you so much, Erin…this much…and I’m willing to prove it. You’re the best you little bitch.

I’m so thankful to have you in my life. Thanks for being my best friend. This Sunday should go down on the history books (or journal). I love you…and I’m almost there.

Oh it’ll go down in the journal, alright.

31 comments

31 Comments so far

  1. Michelle H April 22nd, 2010 10:21 am

    That would seriously freak me out. Especially with two kids in the house! What in the world was she thinking? It’s like the kind of thing you pull when you’re 16, not as an adult.

  2. Tuna Tar-Tart April 23rd, 2010 8:58 am

    The fact that Henry’s kids were there is what REALLY pissed me off, never mind the fact that I told her very emphatically I did NOT want her to come here. I mean, I like being stalked as much as the next person, but….lol.

  3. Berryvox April 22nd, 2010 10:38 am

    O.o That letter would’ve scared the HELL outta me.

  4. Tuna Tar-Tart April 23rd, 2010 8:59 am

    It did scare me, but then I just felt really sorry for her.

  5. Melissa April 22nd, 2010 12:36 pm

    You never told me this part of the story!!! Now I really wish I had run into her when I was still living in Cinci. She needs punched.

    Sylvia is little more than Christina’s puppet. But you knew that.

  6. Tuna Tar-Tart April 23rd, 2010 9:01 am

    This is another one of those shining examples that make me look even more dumb for keeping her around for so many years!

    Sylvia IS her puppet, which is why Christina keeps her around. When you think about it, Christina was basically MY Sylvia, though.

  7. Nicole April 22nd, 2010 4:32 pm

    That’s creeptastic. That letter, not even mentioning the random visit, would have freaked me the fuck out for life.

  8. Tuna Tar-Tart April 23rd, 2010 9:02 am

    It did freak me out, but there’s that abnormal part of me that tried to rationalize it to the point where I thought it would be an OK idea to keep her around as a friend. WTF was my problem!?>!?

  9. Janna April 22nd, 2010 4:39 pm

    That made me cringe to read what she wrote. Little did she know what was coming. Well, she SHOULD have known. I dunno…if you’re having that many misgivings about doing something, maybe it’s the wrong thing to do?

  10. Tuna Tar-Tart April 23rd, 2010 9:04 am

    This should have been the final chapter. AFter I re-read that letter, I was like, “Why did I let her convince me she could change and be my friend?”

    She’ll never change. The things she told Henry on the phone in February made me realize that. She will never mature. She will never be stable. She will always seek out drama.

  11. woah

    that is some shit right there
    i wouldnt even make tea for my ex and I LOVED him. so obsession is a bit of an understatement here. that letter is painful and gross to read. Did she think that was supposed to THRILL you? lord strike me

    HENRY GETS BONUS COOLIO POINTS FOR PROTECTING YOU AND FOR STERNNESS

    +50

    and a gold star
    and a cookie in whichever variety he prefers them to be in

  12. Tuna Tar-Tart April 23rd, 2010 9:06 am

    Obsession and infatuation. That’s what it was for her, deep down. I’m not sure I believe she ever loved me; I was always something in a glass case for her to admire. It was weird. But, thanks to my self-esteem issues, I accepted it for what it was and kept her in my life.

    Because I’m retarded.

    Thank god for Henry!! He might not be willing to throw a punch for me at a show, but when it comes to female drama, he’s willing to get down in it!

  13. Ally April 23rd, 2010 1:45 pm

    I probably would have gone straight to the courthouse and slapped a restraining order on her.

    The part that would have creeped me out the most (well, besides the actual showing up on your doorstep) was the timestamps on the letter. eww. :(

    You shouldn’t beat yourself up about why you continued the friendship. I’ve done the same types of things; I should have known that the relationship was a bad idea, but continued it because it was what I thought I needed to do. It just makes you wiser in the end…

    “You’re the best you little bitch.”

    what?

  14. Tuna Tar-Tart April 24th, 2010 10:20 am

    I’m so dumb though! Danger is appealing to me. Most people run from the red flags; I poke the person waving them.

    Ugh, yeah – it’s weird how she would call me “hoe” and “little bitch” almost like she was trying to “lighten” the mood by being insulting? I don’t know! But I know I never responded well to that and she stopped doing it.

  15. Jessi May 5th, 2010 4:18 pm

    I was about to comment about her calling you a hoe and a bitch in her love letter, what the hell?! So much about this is contradictory, especially that she told Henry she came to prove she could “be your friend” when so much about her letter (not to mention the unannounced/unwanted trip) exclaims her desire for more. Sylvia, clearly, is the dumb one (not you). Wow, they deserve each other. No joke.

  16. Tuna Tar-Tart May 5th, 2010 5:19 pm

    I’m glad she knocked that shit off after awhile (the “little bitch,” etc as terms of endearment) because it was really annoying. Well, among everything else.

    There is so much that I didn’t see then. It’s weird, stepping back and trying to look at it objectively!

    They do deserve each other. I’ve told her that before, many times. The two of them thrive off abuse and drama!

  17. Andrea April 24th, 2010 5:01 am

    Holy shit this is so scary!
    I can’t even imagine how terrified you must have been. And angry. Thank god for Henry being there and for being a good man!
    And that creepy letter…why would she even leave it if you refused to see her?
    Ick!

  18. Tuna Tar-Tart April 24th, 2010 10:18 am

    I was terrified! Unfortunately, because I’m such a dummy, I was like, “Yay I have a stalker!” I took so many chances on that broad. But then when it comes to things that matter, I just sit here like a wuss. I think I need a life coach.

  19. Alyson Hell April 30th, 2010 12:00 pm

    Yeah. NOT acceptable banging on your door unexpected at 8:30 in the morning. Rude. Discourteous. UNSTABLE. Good on Henry for being stern on her puta mexicana ass.

  20. Tuna Tar-Tart April 30th, 2010 7:41 pm

    PUTA MEXICANA!! Thank you for reminding me about that!

  21. merrymerry May 4th, 2010 10:47 am

    jeeezus. i just got caught up on the last two episodes of this drama. holy hell, i had no idea it was this crazy. this is stressful to read!!!

  22. Tuna Tar-Tart May 4th, 2010 11:36 am

    Christina had a way of not letting anyone else see this side of her. Everyone thought she was so awesome. I did too at first!

    It’s fucked up how sometimes you don’t know you were manipulated until you remove yourself from the situation. I honestly, sincerely had feelings for her, or so I thought. She had this way of making me pity her so I would always take her back.

    Reading the shit in my old journals makes me embarrassed. I was so much weaker back then. Thank you for reading this, even though it IS stressful! :(

  23. merrymerry May 4th, 2010 12:43 pm

    Don’t be embarrassed at all, simply for the reason that *most* people have a tale or two they could tell (if they had the guts) about which they felt weak, stupid, or what have you. But most people don’t have the guts to admit it…reading this makes me feel less -personally- embarrassed about some tales I could tell about some shit, tales worse than this. Hair would curl and milk would curdle. I’m just too chickenshit. :)

    But seriously, her behavior really seems so incredibly overbearing, like she was preying on you…not cool at all. SO manipulative. And the creep factor is pretty high, too.

  24. Mark May 4th, 2010 4:28 pm

    I’m so glad I never visitationally raped someone when I got a little crazy. Guess I’m not really a stalker at heart. And you know…she probably didn’t actually leave OH that morning. I’m sure she’s been in Pgh for weeks, watching you from the church parking lot.

  25. Jessi May 5th, 2010 4:19 pm

    Oh man, that’s even worse, but probably true…

  26. Tuna Tar-Tart May 5th, 2010 4:55 pm

    MARK! That’s really scary! Sometimes I think about stuff like that, though. Like if she’s in town driving repeatedly past my house. She still e-stalks me, that much I know. So does her girlfriend. Actually, I think the girlfriend does it more.

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