Chapter 1: The Unannounced Invasion
They brought their suitcases and their entitlement, demanding a free ride in the home I had bled and sweated to build. They thought my polite smile meant surrender. They didn’t know I was just welcoming them to the hotel of hard lessons, where the checkout time is absolutely mandatory.
It was a Tuesday evening in late October. The air outside was crisp, and all I wanted after a grueling ten-hour shift at the architectural firm was to sink into my deep velvet sofa with a glass of Pinot Noir and listen to the absolute, blissful silence of my house.
I unlocked the front door, kicked off my heels, and stepped into the foyer.
The silence I craved was not there. Instead, the blaring, chaotic noise of a reality television show assaulted my ears, accompanied by the distinct smell of cheap, greasy takeout food.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Blocking the hallway to the living room was a literal wall of luggage. There were three massive, hard-shell suitcases, two overstuffed duffel bags, and a tower of cardboard boxes that looked like they contained half a kitchen.
