The F Word
or...Bobbi is a Potty Mouth

I ask the question:
is it better to be a potty mouth or a thief?

by Bobbi Ann Johnson Homes

            Some people never curse and are quite vocal about their opinion that those that do have a limited vocabulary. A segment of Hollywood obviously doesn’t share that opinion. You’ll find a number of films with the F word sprinkled liberally throughout the dialogue.
            I understand what those anti-cursers are saying, because listening to f*** popping up every other sentence is annoying. As a writer, I believe the word should be used sparingly. Overuse diminishes the impact of the word, and cheapens its effect, when calling someone a F***ing something or another. But sometimes, it is precisely fitting.
 
            My father, Walt Johnson, hated thieves. While he could tolerate many things, stealing was not one of them. Growing up, my sister and I got the message loud and clear: never steal.
            After the Havasu Palms takeover in 1999, Havasu Palms’ Inc. owned three mobile homes in the park.  Instead of landlords, they became tenants. At the time, Havasu Palms Inc. was owned by my mother and two of her partners, and managed by husband and me. We began paying rent to the new concessionaires, like the other tenants at the park. Eventually we sold two of the mobile homes.
            In spite of the fact we were continuing to pay rent on the third mobile home, the concessionaires (Havasu Ventures) decided they wanted it, and simply broke into the mobile home, and changed the locks. They didn’t notify us, nor did they offer to refund the rent we had paid on the unit. They did not offer to return our personal belongings, which were stored in the mobile home.
            I heard about the “theft” through the grapevine, and immediately called the manager of the park, Cotton. By this time, we were living in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
            During the phone conversation with Cotton, I decided to tell him exactly what I thought of his behavior.  I called him a “F***ing thief.”  I did not use asterisks; I said the words.
            After talking to Cotton, I called the sheriff at Parker Dam, California and had him meet me at the mobile home in the park.
            The sheriff apparently agreed with our side. After some discussions (and if I recall, phone calls to the lawyers involved), Cotton was forced to give us the keys to the unit, and to keep his hands off our property. Havasu Ventured agreed to handle their “claim” to the mobile home in the courts.
            But Cotton (now this is where it gets funny) was outraged…outraged that I had cursed at him on the phone! He kept whining to the sheriff about my potty mouth! How dare I!
Now folks, I don’t know about you…but does it seem as if someone’s priorities are majorly messed up when stealing is okay, but cursing is bad. It is okay to take someone’s property, just cause you want it, but shame on the person being ripped off if they curse at the thief!
I don’t get why I need to be polite to a thief.  And frankly, he behaved like a F***ing thief.
            After this all happened, the sheriff, regretting he did not arrest Cotton on the spot, returned to the park a few days later, and arrested Cotton, hauling him to Needles.  Since the matter involved Indian land, and the Chemehuevi Tribe decided to allow the thieving, the DA would not proceed with charges, and Cotton was released.
            Havasu Ventures did not honor their agreement to handle the ownership matter of the mobile home in court, and re-took the unit. Since the DA would not get involved, local California law enforcement was unable to help us. We never received any compensation for our personal property they seized. Not only was our rent current at the time of the theft, we sent it certified mail, to have proof it was paid in full and on time.
            We did manage to remove some of our personal items from the unit before the re-take. Although my sister, Lynn, still talks about her missing water ski. (She loved that ski).