Life went on . We were Dippy-less and now the full burden of Dopey fell upon my shoulders. She was a very territorial woman and simply assumed that by living in the house that it was really hers and hers alone. Even if I asked her to delay turning on the washing machine (which made a huge racket) by ten minutes so I could finish working on a painting nearby before scuttling off to work she would ignore me claiming that I had to let her do her thing. She also wanted to hang her laundry outside to dry. She really wanted to feel as though she was a youngish housewife again, queen of the roost in her tidy little bungalow. Sometimes she even called me by her deceased husband's name (creepy!). I turned off the machine myself, painted for another five minutes, then turned it back on as I prepared to leave for work. Dopey tried to make herself look big, tall and menacing (she looked both pathetic and comical) and she told me in a petulant whiney voice intended to sound formidable "You are a great big bully!) I nearly threw one of my paintings in her face, called her a controlling bitch and replied "One day my art will be feeding you." I had some cause to this boast given that I had already done well on some art sales and that Dopey was of course benefitting from the largesse.
Of course she was also paying the rent. My job did not give me a lot of hours and I ended up paying for all the groceries, so if anyone thinks I was sponging off her then you'd better think again. We still professed to be a Christian community and still prayed together and tried to seek God for his provision and guidance. And we were still provided for by generous helpers who would always appear when we were needing extra assistance and then disappear again.
A very sad and pathetic young man moved in to replace Dippy. He was depressed, from a privileged background and simply carried his wallow of self pity around the way a tortoise carries its shell on its back. We at first liked each other but as he showed himself to be incredibly self-centred, lazy and self-absorbed Dopey and I came both to quite despise the wanker (though we of course still professed for him Christian love.
I worked, took care of my clients, took care of Dopey (house work, shopping, laundry etc.), painted, hung out in hip cafes on Commercial Drive and made a whole array of new exciting hip friends, visited art galleries, attended openings and coped.
I wanted to break out of this prison of my own making at the soonest possible opportunity. I felt I should wait since I knew I wasn't yet ready. In the meantime I began preparations to legally change my name.
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