What would you do?

Well, once again, being the owner of houses has brought on a very exciting week. Not only have the calls for rentals been a little more interesting this week, but we had a hard decision to make with a guy that was doing some work for us.

I never knew that having rentals would be so hard at times, besides the 24 hour a day calls of course, and would really test your morals and kindness. My kindness and patience have definitely worn thin and it can be seen in almost everyday now of living with me, just ask Kevin. Questions are very hard to answer, because who the hey has time to answer little questions about "have you seen my keys?" Poor Kevin, as my coworker likes to say.

Anyhoo, so Kevin had hired a nice guy to cut our yards (at the properties, our personal yards are dirt that require no cutting) and do a little painting and odd jobs. He found this guy from his flyer he had left in our door. He asked our neighbors about him and they had hired him to cut their grass and do some other things. We would see him around in their yards.

Well, he starts cutting the yards and then slowly we start asking him to paint and do a little extra errands around the properties. He seemed nice, although I knew he had already started drinking by about 11 most of the days I would interact with him. He and I started interacting more and more as I needed him to paint and move furniture around. The guy is a nice guy, just drinks a little. I mean, can I judge? Most of my family is drunk by 11 too! I'm kidding, ya'll. Kind of.

Anyways, as I begin to get to know him, I trust him more. Not trust, like leave my child with him, but trust him to lock the doors behind him in the empty apartments and then put the key in our office door. So, I let him paint, and I leave to go get Sallie Rose from camp and so forth. He returns the key, nothing thought about it.

At this point, as far as we know, he is living in a carriage house a few blocks from our house. He is working a few other odd jobs with gardeners and other landscapers. He works for us 1 or 2 days a week, when I am there to boss him around. Ha, like I have ever been able to boss anyone around.

So, he starts showing up more, saying that he appreciates the job and just wants to show his gratitude by doing a little more sprucing up to the bushes and things. Fine, just don't expect me to pay you, cuz we can't.

I finally go into an apartment that he had painted to show to a couple of students and it smelled like smoke. I open one of the closets (no one lives here and hasn't since May) and there is a pile of clothes and a sign that says "will work for food". I was so shocked and confused. I call Kevin. He asks if I think it is "yard guy's". I say yes, I recognize the clothes. He had been staying in one of our empty apartments that I had given him the key to for painting.

I was hurt, I was mad, and I felt betrayed and used. Why didn't he just ask me? I MIGHT have said yes and not told Kevin. What happened to his other place? How long has he been staying here? Is this the real reason he was doing extra work? Was he feeling guilty for trespassing on our house?

Kevin called him and told him to give us the keys and to not come back or of course he would call the Cops. I felt sad for him, but a little mad still. I thought about it all day. I was so out of it the rest of the day. It really effected me. I liked him and I thought he liked me.

That night as I sat on my nice couch, watching my gigantic tv, I burst into tears sad that I had put a man out on the streets. He has no home. He has no home and he was harmlessly sleeping on the floor of one of our empty apartments. I was so torn up. I felt ashamed of myself, but at the same time was still mad that he had betrayed my trust in him.

Today, I don't know what the right thing to do was. This is one of those situations where I am torn to do what I feel is right as a Christian and what I feel is right to do so that I don't get harmed. I have been in many of these situations and have made the decision that felt like the Christian decision and have been lectured by many people for putting myself in harm's way. Just ask Curtis, Cody and Makell. They have a good one to tell.


I pray for him, for everyone like him. People who might not make good decisions and it leaves them on the streets. All of us make bad decisions, but they don't all leave us homeless. Why are they different? Why do we see them as such harmful people, but really they are just people without homes and who are drinking by 11am in this case. He worked hard and did a good job. What did he do with all the money? Hell, he was making more money a week that I was. How does that happen and he is still homeless? This is so hard for me and I doubt I will ever know the right way to deal with it. I face these types of things everyday over in our lil ghetto. Hookers on the streets. Call the Cops? Why shouldn't I? It is illegal, but then again I think about what their life might really be like, do they have kids to feed? It so tough for me, especially now that I am a Mom. Things change when you have another person to look after.

Thanks for listening y'all. Say a prayer for our "yard guy".