A couple of months ago I took in a new roomie. I had known her a while and I admit she is troubled. Last year she lost parental rights for her kids (including an 8 1/2-year-old), went to jail and while she was in jail, her longtime boyfriend committed suicide. When she got out, she was living in a shelter and so despondent. So I offered to rent her a room, with the stated expectation that she would have to be clean & sober.
She did really well for a while. She was beginning to smile and laugh, found a couple of decent guys to date and was doing things with nice girlfriends. Well, four days ago she disappeared. I heard from her here and there, but it was clear she was on a runner, doing drugs. I knew I was going to have to ask her to leave. Well, at 1 a.m. I got a call from her -- she's in jail, again. Seems she clobbered some woman she thought had cheated her out of some money.
I'm glad I didn't have to kick her out (I coulda been the one she clobbered), but I'm so sad for her. She says she will probably be in for another year and a half. I had hoped with a nice safe place to live, she had a better chance of cleaning up. And I'm back to an empty house.
The up side, is that I can make my summer travel plans. I wasn't ABOUT to leave her alone in my house while I took off. I had looked at taking a volunteer gig in Wisconsin about 40 miles from where her little girl was living with her sister. Now I can look closer to home.