homeownership.

It was April 2009 after a lovely night at the Cirque du Soliel, that I was robbed again. Now I should not be upset about getting robbed considering I was a thief in my past but I was. This is the story about how I became a homeowner.

Let's relive this morning I was robbed, however. I had arisen early to get my hair retightened by the hairdresser and was going to enjoy a nap before I finished my final exam for my linguistics class. I woke up to my door open and my laptop and main cell phone taken. The police were not a help in finding the culprit despite my phone call to 911 said I saw him leave down the street. They wanted to blame it on my brother or a lover. I was in my underwear and violated emotionally. The only thing they reminded me of was I had renters insurance. And to be glad that I was not raped.

My landlord gave me much of the same thing. He said the apartment underneath me was broken into and that was the point of entry. It took him two days to get back to me. With the lackluster way my situation was being treated, I was done renting. With my mother’s real estate background, I decided to look for my own property. And I found one in two months. It was pretty. It had skylights and a built-in bookshelf. I had a tree in the yard. It was big enough to clean in a day. I loved that it let the moonlight in at the top of the stairs. It was in my price range which sealed the deal.

But when I went to sign my contract, I was told by my job that I was being let go in my place of employment. I called my brother and closest friend to see if they wanted to be roommates in the space. My brother was willing and my friend opted to go missing. I got over it. I took a chance and signed the contract thinking I would not have to worry about getting a new gig in the space. I threw a small, I am going to be unemployed party to start things off.

The house was closed on in late August. I moved in over a weekend. I was settled in by I had to go to work again. My brother stayed in the living room in the beginning. Then he went into the main bedroom. I took the one over the kitchen. The struggle to keep the property began in 2013.

I loved my property. It was a noose around my neck but it saved me from being homeless and living totally alone. In that space, I grew as an adult. I learned what I liked about myself. My kitchen and craft room became extensions of myself. My room, leak included, became a safe haven. I got a cat and kept her for the duration of it. I built a garden in it. I loved my contractors who helped me modify it. And in 2019, I let go of it. All the things I had were crippling. I was struggling to survive. I needed to be in a space that allowed me to dream for a while. That is when I chose Malta.