Seven Hundred and Seventy Six Miles

The sun was setting as I pulled into the driveway. "I made it!" I shouted! "I made it!" "I really made it!" How did I end up here? I feel as though I'm having an out of body experience,

Growing up in the city of Detroit, raised by a single mother on welfare. As a child, my uncle would take us on road trips down south to Georgia during the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday. Beyond that, I had never been anywhere else.

As I got older, the view of the Ambassador Bridge, common hangouts like Belle Isle, and The Riverfront with a view to Canada became etched in my mind. Trekking over the bridge or through the tunnel to Canada seemed like crossing the street rather than entering another country.

I Had A Dream!

Although we grew up on welfare, we never considered ourselves poor as children. Detroit was and always will be filled with opportunities. Rich music history, automotive history, and beautiful homes drew millions from the south seeking a better way of life. Well into the 90s people were desperate to get into the automotive plants, However, I had a dream of becoming a writer, writing novels and screenplays, and moving to California.

A Dream Deferred.

Fast forward I'm a nineteen-year-old high school dropout, pregnant with my first child, and applying for welfare. Needless to say, that was not what I saw in my future, but now I had another life that I was responsible for. By the time I was twenty-five I now had two children. Working lots of odd jobs, but never being able to maintain financial stability. This lead to my first bankruptcy filing.

I wasn't giving up that easy! I wanted to give my children a good home, in a good neighborhood. I wanted to buy my children nice clothes, take them on great vacations! I was looking to be an entrepreneur, so I began what's now known as "side hustles." Finally, I landed a job at a huge telecommunication company, and in a few years, I purchased my first home. It was in a middle-class section of the city. However, it was a renovation project that would take on a life of its own. The house was a complete gut job from the roof to the walls, to the floors. I soon learned that I was in over my head, financially I could not afford contractors and a mortgage, My only option was to do the projects myself. So there I was, putting in sub-floors, drywall, tiles, cabinets, and painting. For a time friends would help, but as time went on the projects dragged on while we continued to live in the home.

Five years in, I had yet again found myself in financial trouble. With a mortgage, car note, high property taxes, and more home projects. It became too much for me to handle and for the second time I found myself filing bankruptcy. Heartbroken and feeling like a failure I let my home go and moved into an apartment to try and rebuild my credit.

Nothing beats a failure but a try.

In my third year of apartment living, and with eleven years still at the same telecommunication company, I wanted to try my hand once again at homeownership! So I purchase yet another home in the suburbs of Detroit under a rent-to-own option. This home also needed some renovation work, though not as much as the first. So I set out to once again lay floors, painting, and install kitchen and bathroom cabinets.

My youngest was about to be 18 years old and I can honestly say was feeling a little relief. Being a single mother was a hard thing to do. I felt like a failure for never being able to give my children that stable home I'd hope to as they were going up.

Soon though, work had become stressful, and cuts were being made. The company began offering buyout plans. And after eleven years, I decided that I would accept a payout. People thought I was crazy, by then I was making nearly $55,000 a year. But, it's never been about money for me. So I became a Real Estate agent.

Epic Fail

The housing market had not yet begun to recover by 2012, and once again I found myself struggling to hold on to a dream. 2 years in and I was moving from my home and in with my sister and her family. And my car was repossessed. I had lost homes and had cars repossessed more times than I care to think about. I began to take a look at my life and wonder was I continually making all the wrong decisions? Or Was I stepping out on faith? Or just going for the dreams I always wanted?

On my third round of bankruptcy, I picked myself up yet again and went to work. I began "side hustles" and working in healthcare. I got another apartment and was well on my way... again! No one to care for but myself. By this time I had become a grandmother of two granddaughters and one on the way! I was content, no more homeownership for me! But that was not the end of my search for stability by far.

My honies my heart

Nearly two years of solitude, and the one- bedroom apartment became home to four and a possible seven! No it's not a spades game, but I was dealt and hand that I didn't think I'd play again. A car accident place me in yet another struggle and my daughter was facing challenges of her own.

Two heads are better than one! Until they aren't.

After less than a year of moving yet again with my daughter, I found myself in a situation that wasn't fitting into my plan.

Finding a friend!

I found myself in need of peace and a place to lay my head in a mere 10 days. God in heaven smiled upon me as I was introduced to my next roommate the very day I was given an eviction notice. And the modern-day Golden Girls were born.

I didn't think I could get any lower. But here I was renting a bedroom that seem to be about the size of a closet. Letting go of yet another car. I just could not give up! It ain't over til the fat lady sings. (Whatever that means?) Tired of clocking in for other people, I started my own home-based travel agency. And then... Covid 19.

The pandemic had isolated everyone from friends, family, shut down the world and, killed thousands of people. The Travel Industry came to a halt. And the world had changed the way people we're behaving. and while many were dying of this awful virus. Others were losing their lives to other illnesses and violence.

Losing my hero.

While we were masking up and social distancing to protect those closest to us, one late October day in 2020 tragedy of a different kind struck our family. My brother suffering from mental illness most of his adult life was en route to the hospital after being severely burned in a fire at his home. Doctors said it was most likely an attempted suicide. He had doused himself with gasoline or some other flammable liquid.

We thought we lost him that day. But he survived, Months of surgeries and close calls, covid restrictions, and prayers followed. Covid still raging and it finally hits home March 2021, my roommate became ill with covid, though she recovered, on early April morning 2021, my brother passed away. All of our hopes were gone and so was his suffering physically and mentally. It was a truly devasting moment for us. My hero was gone.

When it rains...

They say if you survive the loss of a loved one you never get over it. If you survive covid 19 you don't recover. At least not immediately. My roommate had determine that she was not improving and in mid-July that she would be moving to Texas with her family and I only had less than two months to move. My hours had been cut at work and I had just purchased a new car.

It's now or never!

Where can I go in the middle of a pandemic and limited income. Before my brothers incident, I had been speaking of someday moving to the Dominican Republic or at least somewhere warm. After my brother died I visited a friend in Columbia, South Carolina. I loved the weather, but there was no ocean. I wanted to be on the beach. With less than two months to find a place to move. I decide Myrtle Beach is where I wanted to go.

How would I do that? Not only didn't I know anyone there, but had never been there before. But it was now or never. I had come to realize that there will never be a perfect time or perfect set of circumstances. It was time to step out on faith.

Seven hundred and seventy six miles,

It was 4 a.m. and the back of my SUV was packed with all my belongings. I kissed my daughter goodbye and started the 12 hour journey to Myrtle Beach! I had never driven more than 2 hours by myself before, yet here I was on the road alone going to a destination I had never been, not knowing anyone there, just getting to know my landlords whom I met though friends at home via phone. I felt like it was someone else on that road. I was having an out of body experience. Exploring the beautiful scenery as the sun rose.

People called me brave, courageous, and probably crazy. At 52 years old, I left everything I knew, the city I grew up in, my mother, siblings, children, grandchildren, and friends. Quit my job again! And decided to start all over again.

Only time will tell.

Settling into my new home. Finding a new career. I'm not certain of what my future will hold. But I am determined to push forward. I'm determine to make my dreams come true!