A Day At The Compound

By Hayley Shaw

For many of us times are tough.  The economy is not what it used to be.  I have decided to ride out the tough times with my family.  My older brother, his wife, their two children, my boyfriend and I have all moved back home with my mother and her partner to live together and pay rent.
My mother and her life partner –yes, she’s gay– bought a 5,200-square-foot foreclosed home about a year ago.  The plan is that we will all live together for a couple of years until the market gets better, eventually selling the house to make a profit for everyone.  My boyfriend and I will pay rent, as will my brother and his family, until we move or sell the house.  It is like a family investment.
We have lived with each other for more than six months now and, so far, we haven’t killed each other; we’ve come close, especially during the hurricane.
When I say compound, I’m not talking about a compound in the “Big Love” TV series sense; I am talking about our house.  With so many people in one living space, things can get dramatic and chaotic.  Especially when living with a newborn, a 4-year-old, a stand-up comedian and a retired cop.  Although it is stressful, it actually isn’t as bad as one would think.
The day starts out with staying in my room until the last possible moment.  When I finally do emerge from my room the chaos is normally in the kitchen.  Rarely do I get to walk into the kitchen with the relief of not having to see anybody or talk to anybody; I am not a morning person.  People are normally asking who is going to do the dishes, who is going to take out the trash, and who made the mess in the sink last night?  Someone always gets defensive and there are hurt feelings at least twice a day; sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s my sister in-law and sometimes it’s the cop.
After thinking in my head at least twice a day, “Why do I live here and even pay to live here?,” I realize there are some fun parts to living with family. For instance, I get to listen to every insane, but hilarious, story that comes out of my 4-year-old niece’s head.  The other day it was giant metal cockroaches that live under our dining room table that no one can ever ever kill.  After telling the story, she threw up in her mouth and proceeded to finish chewing it; her reasoning was, “It’s just chicken.”  
By evening, everything has usually settled down and we start to enjoy ourselves after the stresses of the day have been released, mainly through alcohol, but nonetheless released. As I mentioned, my mom is a stand-up comedian and on some nights we get to bask in her glory.  We have taken the entire household out in a limo to one of my mom’s events.  We got dressed up, especially the 4-year-old, who wore her Little Mermaid costume, and went downtown to my mom’s show.  On the way there, we made the limo driver stop at McDonald’s so we could get the mermaid something to eat and return a movie at Redbox.  You should have seen the stares we got when we pulled up to McDonald’s in a stretch Explorer limo.  We took up the entire parking lot.
It really isn’t that bad to live with my family at the compound.  Family will always be there for you and even if it is hard to get a job, go to school or find any money, they will be there for you, supporting all that you do.