I Left for a Few Peaceful Days. When I Came Back, Everything I Owned Was Piled by the Trash, and I Was Told to Leave.

Sort of.

Floyd and Pamela made the mortgage payments. Sometimes. When they couldn’t, I covered it.

They paid utilities. Sometimes. When they didn’t, I paid.

I paid for the new furnace when the old one died. The roof repair after a storm. The plumbing when the basement flooded.
I told myself it was temporary. That they were struggling but trying. That family helped family.

But somewhere along the way, the agreement shifted.