After losing our home in NH I had to send my wife to stay with her parents while I found a place to live.
I could not stay with my mom since she was on section 8 and my only hope was if I could stay with Ray.
I had taken him in to live with us in the past and were as close as true brothers so he gladly let me stay.
His apt was a small studio barely big enough for one person but I managed to find space with a mattress on the floor. I worked hard for 3 yrs earning enough money to make a move which had to be out of state since MA had gotten so bad I would have remained homeless at nearly $1,000 or more as typical rent at that point well above my earnings
I worked an avg 30+ hrs a week at Stop & Shop trying to survive and soon planned on coming to Florida as it was very, very cheap by comparison and I wanted to pursue a career with animals something Florida had a whole lot of. We got along more like Oscar and Felix having totally different styles when it came to our living space. I watched his apt for a year in 04' while he was away in Iraq which was nice stress wise but lonely though I had his cat Missy to keep me company. I looked all around Florida till i settled on Gainesville due to price and being inland away from hurricane damage.
After a lot of good byes I was ready to make the move by August 05' feeling I was going to miss Ray and Rich
but was my only chance to get a roof over my head and possibly save my marriage as I was trying to find a home for both of us. A week before the I was due to leave the creek behind Ray's apt which was the city drainage system over flowed in a bad rain storm putting every car in the lot under 4ft of water. Mine was the only car I some how got running again months later with a lot of hard work. So I went back to work at Stop & Shop again as a new hire and one night a month later Ray called from work telling me Rich died of a heart attack. I could not even react I was so traumatized going absolutely emotionally numb till the funeral when I broke down in tears. Then what made me feel my marriage was truly over happened when my wife Amy could not understand why I needed her to comfort me. I really was hurt after that but focused all my energy on fixing the car and making the move sick and tired of being homeless.
Though I was able to stay with Ray for all this time it took a huge blow to my pride not to be able to take care of myself and Amy I really needed a positive change. It was not at all an easy decision as I did not want to leave behind my best friend Ray and my Mom but I had no other way to avoid being homeless since my income was not good enough at full time to afford the cheapest rent in all MA.
When the day finally came in April 06' I said farewell to Amy hoping I could send for her soon and a sad good bye to Ray and my buddy Missy.Leaving that Monday I hit the road early getting on Rt 128 about 8am driving non stop for 6hrs till I needed a pit stop in NY getting a bite to eat and headed to Virginia where I spent the night in a Walmart parking lot in a cramped over stuffed car. When I got up at 5am since it was hard to get comfortable in a car seat all night I ate breakfast, got back on the road and headed down Rt 95 to S Carolina spending a night there at another Walmart. Finally getting to gainesville at 4pm Wednesday evening settling in to my new apt with only an air mattress to sleep on for the next 4 months.
I was elated after such a long drive exhausted but over excited to finally accomplish my goal after 3 yrs of struggling. I loved the new apartment but it felt lonely without Ray and Missy around knowing I had no friends or any relatives around for 1300 miles! I had to focus on a new job and getting Amy down there soon to really celebrate a victory!
I could not stay with my mom since she was on section 8 and my only hope was if I could stay with Ray.
I had taken him in to live with us in the past and were as close as true brothers so he gladly let me stay.
His apt was a small studio barely big enough for one person but I managed to find space with a mattress on the floor. I worked hard for 3 yrs earning enough money to make a move which had to be out of state since MA had gotten so bad I would have remained homeless at nearly $1,000 or more as typical rent at that point well above my earnings
I worked an avg 30+ hrs a week at Stop & Shop trying to survive and soon planned on coming to Florida as it was very, very cheap by comparison and I wanted to pursue a career with animals something Florida had a whole lot of. We got along more like Oscar and Felix having totally different styles when it came to our living space. I watched his apt for a year in 04' while he was away in Iraq which was nice stress wise but lonely though I had his cat Missy to keep me company. I looked all around Florida till i settled on Gainesville due to price and being inland away from hurricane damage.
After a lot of good byes I was ready to make the move by August 05' feeling I was going to miss Ray and Rich
but was my only chance to get a roof over my head and possibly save my marriage as I was trying to find a home for both of us. A week before the I was due to leave the creek behind Ray's apt which was the city drainage system over flowed in a bad rain storm putting every car in the lot under 4ft of water. Mine was the only car I some how got running again months later with a lot of hard work. So I went back to work at Stop & Shop again as a new hire and one night a month later Ray called from work telling me Rich died of a heart attack. I could not even react I was so traumatized going absolutely emotionally numb till the funeral when I broke down in tears. Then what made me feel my marriage was truly over happened when my wife Amy could not understand why I needed her to comfort me. I really was hurt after that but focused all my energy on fixing the car and making the move sick and tired of being homeless.
Though I was able to stay with Ray for all this time it took a huge blow to my pride not to be able to take care of myself and Amy I really needed a positive change. It was not at all an easy decision as I did not want to leave behind my best friend Ray and my Mom but I had no other way to avoid being homeless since my income was not good enough at full time to afford the cheapest rent in all MA.
When the day finally came in April 06' I said farewell to Amy hoping I could send for her soon and a sad good bye to Ray and my buddy Missy.Leaving that Monday I hit the road early getting on Rt 128 about 8am driving non stop for 6hrs till I needed a pit stop in NY getting a bite to eat and headed to Virginia where I spent the night in a Walmart parking lot in a cramped over stuffed car. When I got up at 5am since it was hard to get comfortable in a car seat all night I ate breakfast, got back on the road and headed down Rt 95 to S Carolina spending a night there at another Walmart. Finally getting to gainesville at 4pm Wednesday evening settling in to my new apt with only an air mattress to sleep on for the next 4 months.
I was elated after such a long drive exhausted but over excited to finally accomplish my goal after 3 yrs of struggling. I loved the new apartment but it felt lonely without Ray and Missy around knowing I had no friends or any relatives around for 1300 miles! I had to focus on a new job and getting Amy down there soon to really celebrate a victory!
