Page 3 of Lisa's Unexpected Valentine's Day

Unemployment was approved, but they were so backed up she still hadn’t gotten her first check. She’d managed to pick up a few weeks of seasonal work at one of the stores. The part time hours had kept the fridge stocked at least, and she’d been able to scrape up enough money to pay December’s rent, but when January rolled around, the job ended.

She didn’t have the rent. Her landlord was a nice enough guy, at first. He’d been understanding when she explained that she was still waiting on unemployment. He’d given her extra time and even waived the late fee.

But the check still didn’t come. She dutifully continued to report in her work searches and lack of income each week. She’d spent hours on hold waiting to speak with representatives, whocould only tell her to be patient and that they were doing their best. “Sorry, ma’am, but fraud has been a real problem. We’re doing our best to get it sorted out, but all I can say is that you should receive your first payment within six to eight weeks after filing.”

Lisa bit back a frustrated reply, reminding them each time, “Yes, but it’s been more than eight weeks since I filed. That’s why I’m calling. I really need—”

“I understand, ma’am. I wish I could help you, but until the payment is registered in the system, you just don’t show up and I have no information for you. Hopefully it will be soon.”

Hopefully.

She’d been living on hope and not much else. Her fridge was practically empty. The landlord was now texting her daily, as January wrapped up without a payment.

Utilities were overdue. Late fees were piling up. Unemployment didn’t even pay the full amount she’d been making, so by the time it did arrive, it wouldn’t completely catch her up. Even the large, accumulated payment she was promised, wasn’t going to be enough to put her in the clear.

There were two bright spots that helped her hold on. One was that her heat was included in the rent she wasn’t paying, so she didn’t have to worry about freezing at least. The second was that with the new year, businesses were starting to hire again. She had several in-person interviews scheduled,

Of course, she hadn’t told her friends any of this. She’d declined all the invites she’d received, including the gift exchange at Christmas and the monthly movie dates. Trying to keep a smile on her face while she was so scared would have been impossible, and she couldn’t afford to pay her share anyway.

At the end of January she stocked up on groceries, filled her gas tank, and paid her cell bill with her credit card. Those wereall essentials if she was going to keep job hunting. But when she missed her minimum payments at the beginning of February, her cards were cut off.

On February thirteenth she came home from a job interview, feeling confident that she’d at least get a callback, to find a pile of boxes and bags on the curb. She didn’t think much about it at first. There were eight units in her building, and someone was always moving out.

When she got to her apartment, she found an eviction notice taped to the door, and then discovered the locks had been changed. In an instant she understood she no longer had a place to live. Her mind whirled and it suddenly clicked that the pile of things on the curb… was hers.

That caught her immediate attention. She raced back down the stairs to save what she could. None of her furniture was there. If it had been, she might have realized sooner that this was her whole life piled on the street.

Maybe the landlord thought he could sell it for past due rent, or maybe people had already carted it off. All that was left were the smaller things. Her face was hot as she stood there and sorted through the bags and boxes, trying to decide what she could keep.

Thankfully Lisa’s car was big and boxy. It had plenty of storage room, but not enough for a whole apartment worth of stuff. She was able to save her important memories, her clothes and bedding. Anything that might have value went in back, as she ignored the aching feeling in her middle. She packed carefully, determined to cram in as much as she could.

At one point a neighbor walked by, and Lisa thought the shame would swallow her up on the spot.

“Lisa… are you moving?” Darlene was a new mother who always looked frazzled, and the dark circles under her eyes seemed perpetual.

She had always been nice though, so Lisa forced a smile. “Looks like it. Kind of unplanned.” There was no sense pretending, not when Darlene would see the notice on the door when she passed.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! What happened?”

Lisa really didn’t want to talk about it, but she gave her the short answer. “Well, I lost my job in November, and you know no one hires during the holidays. Unemployment is so backed up it hasn’t kicked in and…” She shrugged.

Darlene pursed her lips and shook her head. “I noticed you hadn’t been leaving for work, but I thought maybe you were working from home. So many jobs are remote now.” Her soft southern voice was full of sympathy.

“Yeah, I wish. I’m sure I’ll find something soon. Guess Tony was tired of waiting for the rent. I—I can’t really blame him.” It wasn’t true. She did blame him for not being a little more patient, or at least giving her a few days to pack, but she didn’t want to sound petty.

“Girl, please! He could have waited. How many times have we had units sit empty for months. If he can get by then, he could have gotten by a little longer. And I can’t believe he just dumped your stuff out here. You want me to call him up and give him an earful?”

Lisa thought about it and then sighed. “He’s already changed the locks, so it won’t do any good. But thank you.”

Darlene frowned and rolled the carriage back and forth as the baby started to fuss. “Do you have somewhere to stay? My place is small, but you can camp on the couch until you find something.”

It was a sweet gesture and truthfully, Lisa was tempted to take her up on it, except she knew how small the apartments were. Crowding in with Darlene, her husband, and the babywould make all of them uncomfortable. “I’ve got a plan, but I really appreciate the offer,” she lied.

“Well, if you change your mind or the plan falls through, you know where I’ll be. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind another adult around to talk to. With Ricky always on the road, I feel like there’s days where nothing comes out of my mouth but babytalk. Ricky’s like to come home and find I’ve forgotten how to use real words one of these days.” Darlene let out a long wistful sigh.

Lisa couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The baby was growing more agitated, and finally Darlene had to make her excuses and hurry away to take care of him. Lisa was grateful that the woman cared, but the kindness had brought tears to her eyes, and she had to keep blinking them away.

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