London 21/12/1989 Thursday
My mum got home last night and called the gas company. After that we had an argument. Not because of the gas. But because I don’t agree with anything she says. She’s a stubborn radical and a pain in the backside. She keeps reminding me she holds the purse strings and because of that I need to behave. She’s only a member of the PT (workers party) when she leaves the house, because at home the “boss-employee” relationships are rather exploitative. So I don’t have a job yet but I do all my domestic duties. We argue about everything: TV, food, when I should go to bed. It’s sickening, we are so incompatible. I’m very meticulous and pay attention to detail and she’s the complete opposite, a slob. Because she always had people cleaning up after her she just makes a mess everywhere… I pay such attention to detail, my mum says I should get a job doing landscape painting on nails.
To make things worse her memory is rubbish and I have the memory of an elephant, so she never remembers what I say, or what she says, I have to keep proving things she doesn’t remember. It drives me mad. I think we will always argue like this.
Today someone from the gas company came and said the meter was broken and that a new one costs £100! My mum started accusing me of breaking it, but I just stayed cool. Because whenever anything goes missing she starts saying it’s my fault, but it’s because her memory is rubbish and she never remembers where she puts things. And that’s another reason we argue so much. But still, £100 to replace the meter, which I did actually break!!!
After the engineer left Ms. McKook’s boyfriend pulled the meter out and connected the pipe to the supply downstairs, so now instead of using coins we will pay directly to them… Party over. At least I got away with it without getting into trouble.
I bought the paper this morning and looked for work. I got a job delivering papers, once a week, on Weds at 6:30 am I need to deliver 210 local papers and will get £6.85. It shouldn’t take me more than an hour to do it… They pay £3.25 per 100 papers. Then drop them at my house and put the payment in the bank account. Easy £27 a month, but that only covers the cigarettes.
Saw a job as a cleaner, they will call tomorrow if there are any vacancies in the area. The other job is far away but 3 hours per evening, Mon-Fri, £30 a week. Would be good to get a few jobs as a cleaner. I’m good at that and I can keep fit too. I really want to be financially independent!
I also saw a job on a shop window, nearby, they are paying £4.5 an hour for a cleaner for 8h a week. I’d work less and would get £36.00 a week! I called but there was no answer. If I got all these jobs I’d be getting about 450USD a month, which is a good salary in Brazil, I’d be able to have my own place there! Not so much here. I can’t wait to get £500 a month (dream!), I’d spend £100 and save the rest. Dreaming is nice, but waking up is not so good.