Why the 4th of July is the Hottest Day in the USA
Look, you’d probably guess that since I’m upset about many things in this country, that I was ready to ex-patriate on July 4th.
Believe it or not, I was walking on air. Well, almost. I was mostly unconscious on a hospital bed.
Missing the celebration of America’s independence from Britain certainly wasn’t my goal, but I’m glad I missed it. Sometimes you have to suffer greatly to learn an important lesson. Like the house in the movie Encanto, you need to crack the foundation to see the flaws and come back stronger.
So where should I start? I used to love fireworks. Swimming in my parents’ pool and going to watch them was something I looked forward to my entire life. Fast forward to home ownership. If you’ve ever owned something that’s important to you…you may know how stressful just keeping up with your chores can be. Add to this a history of molestation and sexual abuse in a field that is well known for sexual abuse and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster.
So my next door neighbors have always been a little ignorant to my profession and my license.
When I applied for a variance to practice from my home, one neighbor asked how she was going to explain to her grandson that there was “massage therapy” going on in the house next door. I asked politely for clarification before someone else in our hearing jumped in “it’s not a brothel”. Fast forward a few years later and the neighbor on the other side asks his son to move in with him as he ages.
”Can you give me a massage” Confused, I continue to read the text, “I like the way you rub me down” I hear a knock on the door “I guarantee if I show up at your place you’ll know exactly who I am” my most recent text says. He hugs me as I stare at him in confusion. He is my new next door neighbor. I don’t talk to him for 3 years.
Then it snows. As a single woman who works from home, I explain I need someone to plow my driveway. He says no problem. I give him money. That should be the end of it, but he asks for a massage again. He suggests that he works from home doing webcam shows and “do you know what it is?” I know exactly what it is and I set the boundary “just so you know, this is a professional business and I’d ask that you keep that in mind” He says “your a good person” I try not to correct his grammar, while I read his next text “Do we really need the sheet or shorts? We’re both adults here”
”Yes”
Country living means fireworks, pretty much year round. I text -let’s call him Tike-I text Tike to “cool it with the fireworks, I’m trying to work”. And he cools it. I walk by and tell this Tike (his name is truly not Tike). that he can begin again.
Years later, I’m losing sleep over the constant interruptions and the sexual harassment I see on a pretty consistent basis. I respond “I need everyone and everything to just shut the F*** up so I can get some peace and space”
Well, I needed a new car and purchased one that morning. I text that afternoon to say “Please let me know if you need anything else” Tan (his name truly isn’t “Tan”) says he’s looking for Oriental massage. Knowing exactly what he means, I clarify that I am certified in several techniques traditional to East Asian cultures, but “anything sexual in nature is out of my scope of practice”
“Well they don’t just give back rubs”
“Just know that these businesses tend to exploit women”
“Just let me know when you get that Title transferred” says “Tan” (I’ll repeat that his name is not Tan).
Fast forward to the next night and I ask “Tike” to “stop shooting the fireworks at a reasonable hour” He said he would and I truly believe that this man, whose name is truly not “Tike” stopped by 9:30.
Fast forward a few hours and my domestic partner has stopped breathing.
I have now survived possibly 2 months of sleeping less than 4 hours in a 24 hour period. I call 911 and perform CPR and wait for them to show up. It is Sunday, July 3, 2022. I am now exhausted and crying on the floor as the paramedics check on my now “alive and well” partner.
“Are we here for you?” Yes, I nod. I’m so relieved to finally be getting the help I was so desperately crying for since the fireworks started 4 years ago with Tike.
There is a physiochemical reason the 4th of July is around the hottest time in America. You can’t expect to shoot fire into the sky without a little smoke. There’s a reason it’s cloudy on the mountains and hot in town. That smoke becomes a cloud cover and the cloud cover becomes rain. There is a reason so many people with PTSD shudder around the 4th of July.
We’ve had enough fire. It’s time for the rain. I vote we start with the fireworks.
