My 1st Apartment

After about a year, I was hired as a receptionist at the District Attorney's office. At the same time, I decided to spread my wings and get my own place.

I had talked several times to one of the legal secretaries at an office on my route and she mentioned that she also managed a little row of efficiency apartments quite close to my new-to-be job. So, one evening after work, I met her and she showed me a tiny, little apartment that would just fit my budget! I was so excited to sign my first lease and get ready to move in.

But, oh....dirty? That's not the word, so I spent several days scrubbing, etc. It had blue tile (linoleum-type) floors--the kind that you had to scrub on your hands and knees, rinse, then put down a coat of wax. They absolutely GLOWED when I finished! I was so proud!

Hmmmm...also extremely, extremely naive! Little did I know that I was moving into a real pit, so to speak! My next door neighbor turned out to be a raging alcoholic with her front teeth missing. She would stumble home from the bars with all kinds of guys--pretty scary dudes! Several times, when she was semi-sober, she would come over to use my phone and one day, she brought this big, black-haired, black-eyed, scarred up man in with her. Oh my gosh! I just sat there and prayed that nothing would happen to me! It didn't! He was obviously with her, but I never let her in after that if she had anyone with her!

I would go into the little laundry room at night to throw in my wash, but would always just miss the other people who lived in the complex. I would hear them talking on the other side of opposite door as they walked away--never did see them.

When I went to the "manager's office" which was this secretary's personal apt., I remember almost dying on the spot. There were piles of doggie do-do all over her shag carpets, cats crawling or lounging all over her furniture and counters, a little girl running around in filty clothes...quite a wake-up call for a little country girl (me) who had been very sheltered from the world. I couldn't put that image of her together, in my mind, of the fashionably-dressed lovely lady who would show up to her office every day.

The Lord surely protected me all the time I lived there! I remember being very lonely, so got a little orange kitten to live with me. I think it was just as lonely as I was, because I had to leave it all day by itself.

My parents came to visit me several times and later on, my mom said that they were very concerned about me living there! Of course, they immediately saw all the creepy people around me and prayed constantly for my safety! I'm sure glad they did!