1st Stranger Landlord

Ran across an unfolding tale on my G+.

It inspired me to share more of my story:

My mother moved out of state after my father died. I had been living with them. 

Shortly after that an old friend took us in. I allowed this with the understanding that I would get us moved out in 3 months.

November, December and January passed. I had thought I might get a job. Instead we ended up utilizing social services. 

I want to say it was at this time we got a small delivery job dropping off magazines a few times a month.

I started looking for a roommate as the month of January got underway. That is a story in and of itself.

Febuary 1^st I awoke with no plan. Nothing I had tried had panned out. I logged on to the internet via my friends computer and answered a new ad.

The lady contacted me right away and we planned a meet.

I got the daughter and I up and ready. We went to see the place and meet the lady. She was a new widow about 50 years old. Her husband had died suddenly just the month before. 

He had been self-employed so that mean his income had stopped. She was working as a waitress. The room in their home that had been his office was off limits to us. 

It was an older house and there was a tiny room next to it with a half bath. We agreed to rent it. 

I moved as many car loads as I could into the house before night fall. I think I had a storage I wanted to empty.

Things seemed to be going along fine. Three weeks later she came home from work all upset and told us she wanted us to leave.

She was not kicking us out in that moment but she hoped we could find a new home before the end of the month.

February is the shortest month on the calendar!

I wanted to panic but I did not have time. What I did was start searching as well as defrosting some ribs I had in the freezer.

Things looked gloomy and then my phone rang. It was an old friend that I had not talked to in months. She is a great gal and was a single mamma when I met her.

At the time she had kids, pets and had found a guy. 

“My landlord is a slumlord." she told me as we set about to chat. 

"My oven won’t turn on my heater won’t turn off."

 

I laughed and said "Well at least you have a home. We are about to be homeless"

To which she countered "Oh you can come stay with us."

I laughed and repeated what she had just told me about her slumlord living conditions.

Not just that but I told her I needed more than a bed or a couch for the two of us.

Having emptied our storage and wanting to save money there was all of our random stuff to worry about.

We have room in the garage and empty storage units in back of the house she told me.

What more of a sign did I need? 

What other options did I have? 

Was it just coincidence that this friend had called when she did?

Was dinner good? 

Hahahah Yes!

Yes it was. 

Yummy BBQ ribs and Rice a Roni was the last meal I ate in the home of our first stranger landlord.