Monday, May. 14, 2018 - 7:04 p.m.

*Started writing this beginning of April.*

This house situation...

So the latest is that squatters moved into the property. On Sunday, a neighbor lady that I've gotten friendly with gave me a call to let me know that someone was trying to move into the house. I told her that I will call the bank on Monday morning and let them deal with it. Called the bank on Monday morning and they told me to call the police. The neighbor lady called to let me know the police went out but apparently left without doing anything.

After work, I rushed over to the house and called the police again so that they could meet me there. Had to wait over an hour for them to arrive. While I was waiting, a woman came out of the house with keys in her hand. Didn't want to confront her on my own, so I kept waiting for the police to show up. Of course, they came flying down the street, bypassing the house and the lady! LOL. But they turned around and I pointed out the house.

I don't feel like getting into the whole story but at the same time I do want it written down somewhere so I can remember it later. So the lady happens to come back down the street. She has a hand pointing to the house as if to say are y'all here to talk about the house. So the officer says yes. She says come on and we all walk to the door. She unlocked the door with her keys and went in the house. She came back out waving her cell phone saying that she had gotten the water and electricity turned on and they were both in her name. The officer asked her if she had a lease and she said yes. She went back in the house to get the lease. "Lakisha" came out with three sheets of paper that were basically a lease template. It was so obvious that the lease was fake!

She called someone named Crystal to tell her that the police were at the house, claiming that someone else was in the process of purchasing the house. Crystal apparently had informed Lakisha that the house belonged to her aunt. The officer told Lakisha that the lease was fraudulent, she was squatting and that she needed to leave the property. The officer told her that the squatter task force would be out in a few days to remove her from the property. He also told her that she could potentially be arrested for breaking into the property. He gave her a case number and we headed out to leave. As we approached the gate to the street, Crystal appeared.

I don't want to forget that just before Crystal appeared, another young lady also popped up in the yard to, as she stated, "check up on" Lakisha. This girl was probably early 20's and smelled like she'd been outside forever - not homeless, just the smell of someone who's been drinking and sweating in the sun all day. It's not a sour smell, but it's an acrid smell that I can instantly recognize from having smelled it on a few others before.

Back to the story...

As the officers and I get to the gate to leave the property, Crystal says, "Why do ya'll keep bothering us about this house?!" Obviously, she must have been around or, from her vantage point 2 houses down, have seen the police stop by earlier in the day. The officers and I look at this lady like, "Ma'am. Really." The officer asks what did she say? Crystal repeats, "I said why do ya'll keep bothering us about this house."

The officer explains that Lakisha is not supposed to be in the house; as a matter of fact, no one is supposed to be in the house since it is in the process of being purchased.

Crystal: "No, it's not. Ain't nobody buying this house. Who buying this house?"

Me: "I'm buying this house."

Crystal: "No you not, ma'am. Ma'am, no you not. You are not buying this house. Where is your paperwork?!"

Me and the two officers: O_O

Chyle, if I could make this ish up, I wouldn't be able to.

The officers explained that 1) I didn't need to show Crystal anything as the situation was not supposed to be any of her business and 2) that they had reviewed my paperwork and everything was as it needed to be. Meanwhile, I didn't even dignify her request with a response. Chyle boo! The nerve!!!

So once the officers let her know that there was paperwork, just not in Lakisha's favor, Crystal literally made a 180 on the sidewalk and started back towards her house, 2 houses down, saying over her shoulder, "Well, I can't help her then. Ain't nothing I can do for her. Please don't wake me up about this house again."

O_O -_- O_O

All I could do was look at the two officers and fight to hold back my laughter. Like, lady, are you really serious right now?! LOL It was so outrageous, I still laugh about it nearly two months later.

Which reminds me: I was so grateful for the ability to be amused by the situation rather than furiously angry. I didn't feel fully victimized or like my personal space was invaded. But it was an invasion. But still, I was just glad to not feel so violated. And for the fortitude, by the grace of God, to go through all I had to, to get those people removed from the house.

It took a week but the police did intervene and it was a scene out of a movie, how they got the squatters out on Tuesday, 4/3/18. It was a completely peaceful event. The squatters showed no shame and held their heads high. But they got their meager belongings (mostly clothes) and "moved out". The detective who handled the case was young and fine as hell. Jeez, I KEEP coming across the most handsome men in this damn process!!! One of the officers who showed up the first time was young and fine too. Liiiiike. UGH!

But yeah, I was just grateful for PEACE in the midst of that situation. It came outta the blue - I feel like right at the beginning of my family's annual fast. Like, the devil was coming for my peace and my joy from the gate! But God gave me extra portions though, so I was able to hang onto it all, in spite of that situation.

I was just thinking yesterday (because the neighbor lady who alerted me about the squatters sent me a Happy Mother's Day text) that it's amazing to have true neighbors who look out for you before you even get to the neighborhood. Like, this lady (as nosy as she is and likely will be) is seriously concerned about the well-being of the property and contacts me regularly about things. She is so cute, if slightly overbearing. But I know she means well and her persistence has paid off for me in a number of ways, so I surely appreciate her.

BBL to write some more. Thank goodness I started this way back when. Just getting around to finishing it from the middle of April!

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