My life is definitely not dull! Even on days when I think it may be things happen which turn a normal state of affairs into something resembling a soap opera!
As you know, dear reader, I’m renting a sweet little cottage at the back one of the butcher’s shops in our village.
There are 2 butchers in our village. Both originally run by the same husband and wife. This couple have now split (and are at war!). So now the husband owns the premises I’m living behind (and so is now my landlord) and his wife runs the other. There is a lock up store adjacent to the one I’m behind and the wife owns the lockup. I am now renting the lockup so I could retrieve my stuff in store and have everything nearer to hand.
All well and good!!
One issue: The husband still has belongings in the lockup behind a locked partition (which actually he shouldn’t have) and is due to remove a partition sometime in January (as agreed with the Court Order on the division of the property). Still OK
Today my belongings were delivered to said lockup at 9.00am. Still OK. Unloading commenced.
The wife rolls up and decides to break in to the bit the husband still has to demolish. He rolls up to ask what’s going on (he has a restraining order against him which means he is not allowed anywhere near her – btw they did spend an hour or so together, talking in my kitchen the other day – without problem!).
However caught as it were ‘red handed’ and stressed out of her mind (this being the run-up to Christmas and therefore hyper busy for her), she starts to yell about how he’s not allowed anywhere near her and rings the police to have him arrested. Her boyfriend who is normally a sensible guy didn’t have the courage or sense to stop her. I did take her phone off her until she promised she wouldn’t but as soon as I gave it back she rang.
Up roll the Police – sirens going. Two cars!!!
Husband runs and hides. She screams at everyone – Police, me, anyone in the vicinity. To be quite frank my view was let her shout herself out but of course the Police can’t stand by and let her do that.
She then storms off to her shop at the other end of the village. Husband appears out of hiding. I hand him over to the Police but first remind him to remain calm, to stay focused on staying calm, to be pleasant. He didn’t need to be arrested. If he had been there were far too many independent witnesses (ie the moving guys) for anything to stick.
She then rings me up and calls me everything under the sun including that I now want her to go bankrupt and see her drummed out of the village. Which isn’t true!
Moving guys and lorry leave. I give my view to Police who concur that she is so stressed she doesn’t know what she’s saying or doing. Everyone goes back into their respective shops and homes.
For some reason I then burst into tears (which I don’t really understand – except I came over all vulnerable and girlie). Neighbour gives me a hug and he and wife give me coffee to cheer me up.
I return to cottage as I’m supposed to be working. It’s now 10.30!! And there’s still lots of ‘day’ left for more excitement.
Now how I should have dealt with all that in a more ‘Life Coaching’ way god only knows!!!
I've Survived! and I'm "Flying"!! 
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Thank you!
Great story line and one worthy of a soap.
I love it that the waring couple both run butchershop in the same village, and have split custody of the locup.
The main issue it seems is she got caught in the wrong, and is often said the best form of defense is attack and she went for it big time.
Please keep us updated on the developments.
BTW which butcher are you going to for your Xmas Turkey?
The saga continues. She is ranting away in her shop at the top of her voice which is rather disconcerting for her customers. I’ve always bought my meat from her shop so did so today (after all if I’m seen shopping in the other one news will soon reach her – so a case of damned if I do, damned if I don’t!). So whilst she told the assembled company what she thought of me I got my purchases and fled – smiling all the while!
I’m not buying a turkey from anyone – fortunately!!
I have now gone into hiding so to speak!
Perhaps I should look for somewhere else! Shame really as it’s lovely here! But there again perhaps life would just be too mundane anywhere else!
She sounds more like a fisherwife than a butcher.
There are faults on both sides (as always). His – physical abuse so I actually understand why she gets so wound up. But on this occasion I do feel she wasn’t helping herself. He was behaving himself from what I saw.
Not a nice position to find yourself in, as she’s put you in the false place of taking sides – which I and everyone else concerned knows you are not. I’m not surprised you cried. You’ve been drawn into the stress of their divorce, which is very unfair. The answer to your question? There isn’t one!
Yes – but I feel I could have helped even more. I don’t think I did as well as I could have. Maybe I should have just let the Police cart him off – but that wouldn’t have been fair as he really hadn’t done anything.
It seems that her default action is to instantly ring the police – rather than take a rational look at things. What an eye opener!
I didn’t feel at all emotionally involved – more a spectator in what rapidly turned into a black farce.
They are both too stubborn for their own good.
I’ve only just had time to pop back and read your post – what a nightmare, poor you. These things are never easy.
You reacted with your heart and your gut and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Today I might welcome a little excitement, even the soap operatic type. 🙂
I’m living through a similar situation right now. My “boss” and his wife have split. Problem is, he oversees the business, she oversees the accounts. Lots of screaming during the days, mostly from her. And the accounts are now all screwed up. My fear is that she is vindictive (with cause) and is taking it out on the business and our customers. I’ve taken to working from another office and from home whenever I can. But what’s Christmas without a little drama?
This kind of thing is the basis for soap operas! And people think they’re too unrealistic!
I think sometimes the correct thing to do is to relieve the stress via a good sob. Nothing wrong with that.
I think you handled it all very well. It was really nothing at all to do with you, but you were sensible about it. She seems to be a harridan, maybe she has just cause, but she is the one at fault here. The tears probably removed the stresses of becoming caught up in something you should not have been involved in. It seems a bit over the top to consider moving on the back of her tantrum. If she persists in involving you and calling you names move to the other butchers shop and ignore her.
I’m not cross with her. She was far too stressed out to see reason. And she wasn’t shouting at me – she was shouting at life – which has cost her dear these last few months. I just happened to be in her ‘firing line’. Actually if i diffused some of her angst then all well and good.
I just wish I could help her to put her anger into something positive rather than self-destruction. She deserves the best but like so many of us when under stress we don’t give ourselves the chance of getting it.