Unsolved Mysteries (Long!)

I rent the second floor of a so-called "friend's" house. She doesn't like cats, and acts extremely fearful around them, even though the one time she was around my cats they ignored her, for the most part. I noticed my friend was acting more stressed out than usual when her mother became ill and died this summer. I could sympathize with that. Of course, my sympathy was strained to the limit two months ago when her thug of a son went down in the basement and helped himself to some of my belongings. She defended him. Right then and there I made the decision to start saving my money and move out. The thug has since moved out and gone to college, but I still feel that it's time to move. I want a house. Don't want some landlord telling me how many cats I can have and whether they should be declawed, etc...

Last week my "friend" decided that she wanted to keep foster kids-- Heaven help us! Now, all this time she was cool with me, even though I remained calm when I retrieved my belongings from her son's room. She never could explain how my stuff walked up the stairs and into his room, but I guess that's one of life's unsolved mysteries.
A week later I paid my rent on time, same as usual.

One of the foster kids is a little boy who loves to roam all through the house. He loves to open closed doors. I immediately thought of my cats, because they have never been around kids. I asked if I could put a small lock on my door. Naturally, her reaction was, "I don't want any locks in my house." I looked at her and said, "Okay, then I'll bring Angel, Ruby, and Rocky down here, then. Because that's what's gonna happen when that kid opens the stairwell door." She knows that the cats like to come down and sit on the stairs and listen whenever they hear noise on the other side of the door.

I could tell that she hadn't even thought about that. Of course, I don't want these little rugrats pawing thru my stuff, either, and I don't care how that sounds. I put the lock on the latch anyway. She stopped speaking to me. So be it. I have been a good, quiet tenant who pays on time, so it's not like I'm going to trash the place. I also know that she really can't afford to ask me to move out because she needs income for the first month or so, until the state decides to pay her.

I like kids, but I have the feeling that if anything happened, like my cats getting hurt, this woman would defend those kids no matter what. I thought I was her friend, but I'm just a rent check to her. She'll get her rent in full next week, same as always, but my rent paying days over there are numbered.

Ruby, you do have certain legal rights. You might want to try to get a copy of your state's booklet on tennant/landlord rights. Possibly a human rights adocate would have some of these, or maybe they could give you some advice.

Hi, Lorie!

I did call one of the lawyer advocate groups in our area and consulted with one of their lawyers. We both agreed that this chick was way too money hungry to ask me to move, because she needs the money too badly. I got some other info about landlord/tennant rights from them, too. It just confirmed what I thought all along: keep it businesslike and get receipts.

Two Saturdays ago this woman came up to me and told me that the electricity was going to be cut off the following Monday, and that she needed money RIGHT THEN. Now, contrary to popular belief, my mother did not raise any fools. I shrugged and said, "Oh, well, so be it. I don't have any money." Later on that day I went out to the movies with my sister, and she laughed when I told her that I've got candles, flashlights and batteries, and if they want to cut the electricity off, go for it, it'll be an adventure.

Monday morning came and went. The lights are STILL on.

They didn't even flicker.

This past weekend that woman came again, knocking on my door on a Saturday morning, claiming that someone from the mortgage company had just come to the door (on a holiday weekend, mind you!) and that she was behind in her mortgage payment because she needed work done on her truck, and if she didn't pay the money in two hours they were going to start foreclosure. Oooh, I guess I was supposed to panic and out comes my purse, and here comes some money.

I looked at her, yawned and said, "Well, you get 90 days for an eviction," and closed the door.

Later on I went out to run some errands, and as soon as I got inside the house she ran up behind me, sputtering, "Oh, it's OK, they just got my account mixed up with someone else's."

????????????????????????????????

I just stared at her and said, "Oh, really?" then I went back upstairs. I fell on the bed and I started laughing so hard my cats came over, sat down and stared at me The look on Angel's face was priceless, like she was thinking "Uh huh, she's flipped. I KNEW this was gonna happen."

Saw several cute places over the weekend...wood floors, lots of windows for my furkids to sit and watch the world go by.... I can't wait for moving day!

Business & friends don't mix. At least you are smart enough to know what she is at. I hope you find somewhere soon!

Amen, sister!

She started out okay, but I think she made the mistake of thinking I was an all day sucker. Some folks do mistake kindness for weakness...