So, my dear friend had given me a few hundred dollars before I had checked into the hospital. The night I got out, I got a hotel room for two nights with Jazmin. All we had was a duffle bag each, and a small amount of money and some food stamps. We had a glorious night and felt like things were going to get better for us now. Her dad was recovering nicely and I did “my time” in the “rat cage”. But now, I have to figure out where I’m going to live.

While in the “rat cage”, I met a man named Fransisco. He was very nice and had turned himself in for depression. His girlfriend who was pregnant, broke up with him and he said he went for days upon days crying, unable to eat, pacing around his apartment not knowing what to do. He told me that if I needed a temporary place to stay, that he could use the company and the extra cash to rent a room there. I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted. He was very normal, quiet, polite, and artistic. I observed him to be one of the only “normal” people in there. Me and him bonded because of some of the crazy incidents that happened there. We hung very low. He was in there voluntarily and only stayed a week or so.

I called him from the hotel and we agreed to meet so that I could check out the apartment complex. It was located in Silverlake. The apartment was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. The walls were hand painted by him in very rich earthy colors, and the handmade musical instruments and art were unreal. It’s like I decorated it myself! Jaz fell in love with it too. The room we would rent was bright pink and on the bed there was a huge blanket with a Siberian Husky. Attached was our own private bathroom. The main building had a huge living area that was open for use, with a kitchen and a computer with internet acess. There was an outdoor pool and an indoor pool, basketball court, 3 hottubs, and 24 hour security. It was just perfect!

There were a ton of units so we decided that we would apply and be able to rent our own apartment as soon as I got the results from my application for social security benefits. I was told that I would probably be eligible and it would generate enough income to afford a place and be comfy. However, it was going to take weeks or months to get a response from them. This apartment was just perfect for the time being. Of course, I checked out Fransisco with the office there. All tenants had a full background check. He was known as a very nice tenant with a perfect history there and record.

Jazmin and I went back to the hotel to sleep on it, enjoy the next day, and discuss whether we were sure we wanted to do this. We went to the mall, bought some socks, shoes for her as hers were torn up, and just wandered around happy, relieved, and excited that we were back together. We had overcome so much, what more could go wrong?

We called Fransisco the next day and said “We will do it!” We got into my vandalized car, praying that we would get to Papa and Grammas safely to gather some of our things. I’m so relieved that I moved some of my stuff to their house. We got a small amount of clothes, Taylors ashes, Turds ashes, a photo of both Taylor and Jazzy, some toiletries, and two pillows, one blanket.

We went to the park and and the lake, took pics of each other, played, admired the geese and the ducks. We spent the following days at the pool. We’d load up on snacks, pack a lunch, and had a fabulous time. We spent our evenings reading to each other, watching videos, and sharing smiles and relief that we had not experienced in so long.

I had one phone exchange with D. He was cold and barking at me in this harsh tone. I was sitting with Jaz. I told him that she was sitting next to me and could hear every word he said. I urged him to just be civil and let’s just figure out how to finish up the rest of us both getting our belongings. His reply was “I don’t care about Jazmin!” This was repeated several times. She shook her head. I was horrified for her. But she was ok with it. She knew that she was loved by me and that’s all that mattered to her. Thank God for her shining attitude through all of this.

One day, Todd calls me and asks if he can come get Jazmin because he had a heart appointment in Seattle. I said, “Of course”. He got to see the huge apartment complex, though he couldn’t make it up the 3 flights of stairs. I said goodbye to Jazmin, looked forward to seeing her the next day or so, and continued to read by the pool, meditate, pray, and try to rest my weary heart a bit.

The only exchanges that me and D had during this week or two was cruel texts from him bossing me around. “SWitch your phone number” and “Change your mail” and “Get the rest of your stuff” and those type of things. I replied that I couldn’t. I had no money, I had severe car problems, and there is no way in hell that I was going to go back to that house. I was using Jazmins phone at the time so I asked him if he could kindly grab anything that he saw that was mine and I would arrange to get it later. I needed rest. I could tell by his demeanor that he was still doing that stone cold scary thing. This time though, I wasn’t fearful. I wasn’t going to crack. I had been through more than he could ever know and I simply was not going to look back. I was not going to be threatened, followed, stalked, and scared anymore. My time in Anacortes was done. I was going to continue on and do the best I can for myself and my daughter.

My friend that helped me by hiring the movers was less available, going on vacation and such. I had no idea where my storage unit was. I wasn’t too worried though. The little we had was more than we could ever ask for.

We started to make friends there at the pool where the same people would congregate. Watching the children play and just resting. I was sure nothing more could happen to us.

After a couple days, Todd and I agreed that he would bring her down to me the next morning. I was so excited. She had just spent 3 or 4 days with him. I kept Jazmins phone with me so that I could be reached. I couldn’t really talk on it since Todd provided her with that phone and there were not very many minutes included with the plan he had, but that was ok. I just needed rest and retreat.

Within hours, I got a call that was about to change my life in a drastic way. I am unsure how I missed the call, but I noticed a voicemail. It was from CPS!!!! They said that they wanted to do a “safety check” and recommended that I not talk to Jazmin, Todd, or his girlfriend until they could come to my place to ensure it was safe. They wanted to interview me too as there were some accusations of possible abuse.

I was like WTF!!! CPS??? Thanks Darlene! My life was about to become very difficult for the following two months.

To be continued….