So first, I’d like to say hello, and I want to thank everyone in advance who is willing to help me get through this difficult time. May God bless you with all the blessings and answered prayers.
Before my life was completely shattered, I was in an amazing place with an amazing job. I was happy to have just gotten married and purchased my first home. I would live this dream life for just over a year. Randomly and completely out of the blue—at least for me—my wife decided she wanted a divorce. I later realized her heart had chosen to love someone else. She kicked me out of our home and took just about everything we had manifested in our lives together. She had planned it all out very well, making sure she was legally protected so that she would be able to get everything. Because I never even had the thought that all we had worked for would come to an end, I was completely vulnerable and blindsided by it all.
From there, I picked myself up, found a new job, and got a new vehicle. I was homeless for a little bit, but I got through it. The job I landed was in maintenance at an apartment complex; it was perfect, and I absolutely loved it. Almost a year into this job, I got to meet the owners of the property. They were very impressed with my work, but they were also really intense and very direct about their financial gains.
We had HUD inspections coming up, and since we were trying to receive a government grant for renovations to the entire property, we also had various types of inspectors visiting. The day the owners were there, the mold testing inspector was there as well. He told me I needed to show him three apartments that I knew had signs of mold. As he walked away to grab his things out of his truck, the vice president who employs me aggressively lunged toward me. In a silent but stern whisper, he told me I had better not send the mold inspector to any apartment with mold.
I was in a terrible spot, but my humanity and my heart couldn’t handle the thought of being the reason any of my tenants lived in a toxic environment. I took the honest route, did what was right, and gave the inspector what he needed to do his job. About a week later, I lost my job. I was told I had used up all my paid time off, was over my allowed absences, and would be terminated immediately along with my benefits. This landed me in a deep depression.
Fortunately, I was able to prove that I had been wrongfully terminated, and I began receiving unemployment benefits. Just as I had always done, I once again picked myself up and kept pushing to get through this difficult time. Then, I was struck with a phone call informing me that my Momma—my best friend and the only person who convinced me to keep my head up and never give up through all the hard times—had suddenly passed away.
I can’t even begin to describe what this feels like. It’s a nightmare that I can’t wake up from, and every day is just another day I have to remember that I’m not going to wake up, because this is my reality. I live a state away, so I didn’t get to say goodbye to her, and I wasn’t done needing my Momma. She was literally all I had left. She was the only person who could talk me through anything, and she was the only person I wanted to make proud of me—so I made sure to pick myself up no matter how hard the situation was.
Momma didn’t have much to her name, but she did have a 10×10 storage unit that I inherited. It’s filled with memories and things she held onto throughout my childhood. I had to get a larger unit because I already had a 10×10 unit of my own, and my current apartment is super small. I was able to get all of her belongings and mine stored together thanks to the unemployment benefits.
However, those benefits have now been cut short because I decided to start working independently doing maintenance work. I had a plan to start with some renovations and had a couple of clients lined up who were friends of mine. The day I was going to go out and give a quote for the jobs, I got into a car wreck. This wreck completely broke my body down, and I am still struggling with the physical recovery process. I was driving a friend’s vehicle, so I was lucky enough to still have a car to drive. I have a personal injury case pending, but it’s not moving very fast, and I’ve fallen behind on my bills. To make matters worse, my transmission just recently went out on me.
The only thing I’m truly worried about right now is losing my storage unit. It’s about to be auctioned off if I can’t get it paid by the 19th. I have been able to come up with some of the money by selling my own belongings, but if I can get someone to help with what I am behind on—and then, if possible, help with the cost of a rental truck and another storage unit—I would be very grateful.
I honestly don’t have any good reason why I should receive help. I’m just a shattered person hoping to find someone who is willing and able to lend a hand.
I am sorry that this has been such a long story, but I just don’t know what to do and don’t really know who to contact. If you stayed and read through my entire situation, I thank you. Even if you’re unable or uninterested in helping, just having someone let me vent and share all of this is a blessing. My PayPal link is: paypal.me/dakotabraxton