Several of you are aware that for the last several months, I have been "living" in a vacant office. The building is owned by an acquantance I've known for several years. None of you know however, what just happened to me a few days ago. Over these last 5 months, I've had to work for this man to pay rent to stay there. I've have done the dirtiest back-breaking work imaginable for him for $8 per hour. I worked for almost four months for this man, painting, scrubbing floors, hauling away garbage, dry-walling, fixing things before he finally "paid" me for those services I did mostly in 7-day weeks. After he took out his rent, he gave me a check for $364.00 and told me he was doing me a favor. That amount for four months work. The man is nothing short of evil.
About a week ago he told me I had 3 days to get out as he had rented the space. This is illegal and he knows it. Whether it is an office or not, since I was paying rent, I'm entitled by law to 30 days written notice. But since I've been here, I've seen this man in action, and he cares nothing about law or even common decency. He told me that he would put some of my stuff in one of his storage facilities if I could not find a place to put it. I took him on his word.
AlanF (God love the man) put me in touch with an ex-dub friend of his here in San Diego, and this person who I had never met or even talked to before immediately came over with his son's truck, took a lot of my stuff, my computer, large bird cage and parrot and put it in his home and in his storage. He gave me $30 and also copies of the keys to his house and his storage facilitiy! Three hours before this, this wonderful man was a total stranger! This is just yet another example of how much I love ex-JWs. They are the finest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing in my entire life.
Another person (never a JW) consented to letting me sleep on his couch for a few days. Saturday, only a few days after I moved, I went back to my old "residence" to get my bicycle, currently my only transportation. It was gone, and so was everything else I had left there. I asked the owner what had happened to it, and he smirked, "I gave it all to GoodWill." I told him he promised to store it for me if I couldn't find a place for it. He shrugged his shoulders. I was in tears. This man did not know what irreperable damage he had done to me.
My bike was worth $700, but more importantly he got rid of my entire collecction of JW books, including some very valuable books from the 1920's and 1930's. He got rid of over $500 important technical reference books that I use in my work programming computers (when I can find work). But even more important than all of that, he threw out momentos from my entire life, things that can never, EVER be replaced. These included pictures of all my children from infancy and while they were growing up, pictures of my parents over my lifetime, and pictures of me when I was a toddler, and teenager. He threw out my birth certificate and every momento owned by my father that I brought back from his funeral. None of that can ever be replaced. The man is evil. He also broke the law in this case too, as there is a bailment law in California and he is required to store stuff for a reasonable period of time before he has any right to dispose of it. He knows I don't have the resources to fight him, and he knows I'm too weak now to fight him.
I will have to soon find a place to stay because this is a one-bedroom apartment and two guys are already living here. If management finds out I'm here, I'll be forced to leave. I can get a dive room in downtown San Diego for about $150-$200 per week until I can start working again. In that case, I would have hookers and druggies for neighbors.
Prisca, I have tried to get by without putting out a general alert, but this whole situation is extremely embarrassing for me, and some have sent me some money and I only accepted what I actually needed at the time. I had never wanted to using the generosity from you and people like you to enrich myself over this situation.
Right now, I'm interested in any kind of work. Today, I'm going to apply to be a Security Guard. Gee, I hope I'm qualified.
My immediate concern is housing, but as I said, I can find places to rent weekly without paying a deposit if I could afford it.
I was able to get a cell phone with 166 minutes of air-time for only $60.00, so I have somewhat of a link to the outside world. But it costs 30 cents-a-minute to use it, and I want to reserve it for responses to my job search.
A friend is letting me use his PO box, whose address looks like a genuine address until I can get permanent housing.
Thank you T. and all who have responded so generously. I cannot find any words that adequately express my gratitude.
Bathory: This is no scam, and do not forget that I never scammed you. I met your challenge and you reneged. Don't you think it is a bit disingenuous for you to wonder publicly if I'm the one who is scamming?
I still have my browser e-mail address, but can only get on the internet infrequently.
T: I will send you my phone number, and you have my permission to share it as you see fit.
Radar: so, what's your point? I haven't seen the hand of God in any of this, only the hands of an evil malefactor and the hands of some generous people who've stepped forward in my behalf. Or, are you just gloating over my situation?
Losing a lifetime of momentos from my own childhood and the childhoods of all my children, and my Father was devasting to me in light of everything else.
Farkel