CoffeeJules

Emily has so many great traits. Almost too many to mention. Without sounding too shallow, easily her natural beauty is something to behold. She has subtle beauty devoid of pretentiousness that lingers ever gently on my mind. 

She wears no makeup.

Unpainted nails. 

A survivalist, she had unfortunately lost her job and now working night shifts for a major distribution firm.

Good news on the horizon, she had been called in for an interview for a job better suited to her skill set and commensurate to her working experience in the medical field. 

The house she had occupied was now on the market. Inflation is now starting to hurt our economy and it reflected in the quality of prospective tenants applying. I didn’t want to deal with families struggling to pay rent so it was best to just sell the house. Interestingly, the house never had a “for sale” sign on the yard but only a “for rent” sign but I had instructed my agent to actively solicit potential buyers. The reason for this was to not waste time with investors who undoubtedly low-ball the house to buy it at the cheapest price possible. But I had a savvy background in investing and thwarted any such opportunity from rogue investors. My plan worked. Soon my agent announced she found an approved buyer that offered $35,000 above asking price. Patience when you have to wait for it – can sometimes work. 

The proceeds from selling the houses in south Houston and the house in Baytown would now be moved into 1031 Exchange. This means the federal government will not tax you on the profit provided I reinvest the proceeds on another real estate venture. The project in Oklahoma was now in full swing. No turning back. Money would need to be poured into that property now. I can’t spend one cent on me otherwise I’ll be penalized. Construction was now officially underway. 

On a Sunday in mid-May, I met Emily for breakfast and then I took her shopping. Since the wedding was coming up she decided to wear high heels. One slight problem – she’s never walked in high heels. “Let’s go get some heels then,” I told her. After breakfast we went to a normal suburb franchise clothing store similar to TJ Maxx or Ross. Remember she’s not much of a shopper. Doesn’t like it. So she made a quick decision. She got the first pair of heels that fit her foot. It was more for the practice of walking in them. 

‘

With the upcoming wedding, I started seeing Emily more. Of course we’d have to plan on her Sundays off from work since she worked night shifts. That would mean Saturday night she’d work and come home Sundays approximately at 6 am and she’d go on her routine of maintaining a sleep pattern. 

I had been taking Latin dance classes and at times our instructor would have events on a Saturday. Unescorted, I would attend alone without a dance partner. Since those invited were all students of the same instructor, dancing with unescorted ladies was encouraged. And the instructor herself, who was engaged, would also ask the gentlemen to dance to see how much they’ve learned from her class. Overall it was fun I suppose. It would be better if I had a partner but sometimes that’s just how it is. 

I only went to one such outing, and even then I would call Emily. By 10pm Saturday night the event would be over and I would call Emily and we talked how about how it went. She had expressed an interest. I assured her it would be fun if we ever took a class together, or perhaps I could teach her also once I learned it enough to teach. I was learning Merengue and Bachata. Once I felt comfortable I would upgrade to salsa. But it takes time and plenty of dancing. And I was dancing but one day a week with my instructor. So for now, salsa would still be something I eat with chips instead of a dance.

Emily and I were meeting regularly on Sundays. I was asking her out and enjoying her company. We were starting now to practice dancing ourselves. Country and western type of dancing. Fortunately, I’m a decent 2-stepper. Having grown up in the rural country of West Texas dancing 2-step was pretty common. Emily wanted to learn. I wanted to teach her. 

Our Sunday dates were dinner and then out to a park. Cell phone in my pocket, I would find a country song with a nice steady beat. George Strait would never disappoint. 

It gave me a chance to hold Emily in my arms. I would never tire of that. 

So there we were at a park in the suburbs during the springtime. Bottle of wine for her. Drinking from a styrofoam cup. Music in my pocket. A good woman in my arms. George Strait music playing. What more can a man ask?

“As I hold you close tonight……hear what I say
There’s no doubt, it’s love alright… ‘Cause I’ve never felt this way
An angel’s what you are…..and now I see
You’re not just someone else…..you’re something special to me

Every man has a dream ……and you made mine come true
How it happened….. I don’t know or care
I’m just happy I found you
Wrapped in the arms of love ……is where I’ll be
For all the world to see….. you’re something special to me”

Luckily, Emily’s favorite sport is not shopping. How lucky can a man get? With the pending May 28 wedding approaching in a few weeks, we set a plan to shop for something for her to wear. I guess we’re both out of practice or we’re both from the school of “never wear black to a wedding.” The ultimate fashion faux pas. I agreed with her, it’s just not proper etiquette for black to be worn. So that ruled out the traditional LBD or “little black dress”. Something usually in every woman’s closet that can be semi-formal to formal depending on the occasion. 

On one of her days off we headed off to one of the malls in suburbia. But first a trip to the food court. I mean gosh we can’t shop on an empty stomach. Philly cheesesteak for her and fine Asian mall cuisine for me. 

Still unsure of what to wear she just went through as many items as possible. She lost interest in shopping fairly quickly. She settled on well I don’t know what it’s called. Typical guy I know. It was a 1-piece something or another. A pant suit? Jump suit? All I know is it was sleeveless and neutral in color. And it looked good. 

We were set. 

I came to find out months later but May 16 was a red-letter day for me. For those who don’t know what a “red-letter day” is well perhaps google its meaning. It was on that day Emily felt I was a “pretty cool dude”. But I didn’t know it at the time. Still I felt good about being with her even if it was only on Sundays. Her work schedule was hard to manage but she was grateful to have a job, and in the interim she was looking for work with a different hourly schedule. Either way she enjoyed the company and her coworkers.

On consecutive Sundays in May I would drive out to the suburbs and take her to dinner. Most of the time I would come back home extremely late. I recall one particular Sunday night I stayed way late night with her family and watching the “blood moon eclipse”. I came home at 1:30 in the morning Monday. Even though I would wake up weary a few hours later for a Monday morning, I was still happy since I was spending time with her. Plus her teens had been accepting of me. Of course it helped that I bribed them along the way when I would order an extra plate or appetizer from the restaurant when I was having dinner with their mom. Hey I was just trying to score points. Can’t blame me for that. 

In late May, an acquaintance of mine would be tying the knot and had invited me to his wedding and a “plus 1”. I asked Emily to be my date. She accepted. It seemed she was a bit skeptical, but accepted nonetheless. It would mean a public outing for the first time since losing her husband. I could sense it. Many questions arose. As much as I could verbally inform her I would hold a high standard of being a gentleman, talk is cheap. But I had confidence I could easily prove myself worthy of holding a chivalrous position in her eyes. 

“Well uhm that’s a drive over to the west of Houston,” she said. “I won’t stay at your house. I’ll go with you but you’ll need to figure how we coordinate this.”

So I told her I would make hotel arrangements to accommodate her stay as comfortable as possible. And also, she wouldn’t need to come to my house for anything since I would find a hotel close to where I live. 

And I decided to sweeten my offer. “Not only that,” I explained, “If you need something to wear for the wedding I’ll take care of it. It’s the least I can do.”

She accepted my offer. Both of them.

Cotton field in a rural area. A common source of summer work for low-income families back in the day. These “cotton rows” could stretch as far as 1/2-mile long one way. So just to take 1 turn you already walked mile. By day’s end it was not unusual to walk 10-11 miles in atrocious heat daily. Source: internet picture

After our margarita Sunday, Emily and I stayed in touch. We seemed to be a good fit in our conversations and I took to sending her friendly good morning texts and “can I call?” texts when she was off work. 

Emily was working overnight shifts and her sleep schedule was upside down to the those who work the usual 8-5 type of job. 

We’re entering the month of May now. I had left my credit card at the restaurant where we had dinner and she had margaritas.  Emily was kind enough to go back by the restaurant and retrieve it for me. So this gave me the excuse (or reason) to see her again. No I didn’t plan to do that on purpose. I guess I was so distracted by Emily that I forgot my card and left it behind. 

The property I owned that she was renting was vacant still. It wasn’t that I had trouble finding a tenant, I was having second thoughts of even keeping it in my portfolio. I had after all purchased it in 2009 and 13 years later it was in sound shape. The house had good bones. Solid foundation. The roof was now 13 years old. The air conditioner was maybe a little older. The only drawback was that I had spent quite a bit just to replace the underground electric cable the previous year. Still it wouldn’t be a good enough reason to keep it. This particular property didn’t have a mortgage and I purchased it pretty cheap (no other way to say it). 

Real estate along with holding a full time job is a good investment. I had enjoyed a dual income as a single man. When I say “enjoyed” – there isn’t much to that. All it meant was the cashflow earned was just sitting in a bank account. I don’t have much experience in “enjoying” anything it seems. And as best as I can recollect it’s due to being raised in a below modest household in terms of money. Simply stated. We were poor. Some might say “dirt poor”. We were even below a sharecropper’s salary. Farming was in our blood. But my father was a farm laborer and not a farmer. That means he worked for the farmer. We didn’t own land. He worked all seasons from sunup to sundown at minimum wage or below and no benefits. I recall no luxuries of any kind. When we ate with white bread that meant we didn’t have enough money to buy flour and baking soda needed to make tortillas (a staple in a Mexican household) There were seven of us. And during the summers we all worked. I began working at the age of 7. It was mindless low level farm laboring and also pretty much from sunup to sundown. We cultivated cotton. Weed removal. Back then it was called hoeing cotton. Although I began working at the age of 7, I do recall accompanying the family to the cotton fields at 5 years of age. Too young to work, I stayed in the vehicle. We had no babysitters so I went went with the family and stayed in a car with open windows from 7 am until 5 pm in dry desolate rural West Texas. No radio. No games. Way way before internet. Just me sitting alone in car for hours on end. 

Separation anxiety

At 5 years old, I was happiest when the whole family was around in an old white model 500 Ford custom 4-door car. Rolling down the windows was our air conditioning. A full set of 7 or 8 garden hoes in the trunk of the car. For a few years I was the youngest but then grew to have 1 younger brother and 1 younger sister. But in those days when I was the youngest is when I was taken to the cotton fields with the rest of the family. There was really no choice. I couldn’t be left alone at home.  I remember crying my heart out and screaming for my family not to leave me all by myself while they hoed the half-mile long cotton fields. To this day I at times still recall the fear I experienced being in the sweltering heat by myself while my family was working. This was long before child labor laws took affect or labor leader Cesar Chavez had any influence in the state of Texas. Ultimately, it didn’t kill me and it came to instill a solid work ethic in every member of my family. But the down side, it made me a bit of a hard ass when I got older.  Rarely having any sympathy for anyone.

So when you’re raised destitute you learn not to spend money. At least not on yourself. With the properties I had accumulated I began positioning myself to getting rid of assets. I was growing weary of being a landlord. 2022 started with a bang. One of my properties in east Houston was on the market. I put the tenant on alert in a south Houston property that their house was next. By March, it too was on the market to sell. The flip house I purchased in October 2021 was sold and now under contract.  A house west of Houston in Sealy was also now about to sell. The first 5 months were active. And then the negotiations began for clearing a piece of land across the Red River into Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma. The plan was to transfer capital gained from the properties to be sold and begin a new venture north of the Texas border. 

So again…I don’t really know how to have fun. I just see numbers in a bank account to transfer to other piles of numbers and begin a new project. My clothes stay the same. My vehicle stays the same. No trips or vacations. Just a different level of stress. 

And after much deliberation and after hours of power walks for exercise – the time came to sell “Emily’s house”.

I had previously seen Emily on purpose on 11 April of this year on a Monday evening. I met her at an Italian restaurant. Then unexpectedly on the 16th due to tire issues and I drove her from her work to her home. 

We had kept in touch after that via calls and text. I asked to see her again. She works weekends on a night shift and makes planning a tad difficult. Meaning she gets home Sunday morning around 7 am from the Saturday before. Sunday/Monday are her days off. Should I see her it would be on a Sunday evening around 4 pm. Those of us who aren’t accustomed to schedules such as those view Sundays at that hour as a way of winding down to get ready for the week ahead on Monday. 

She agreed to meet again only this time I would arrive at her residence to pick her up. It wasn’t that I was apprehensive about it, but there was an mild uneasiness I felt inside. It would mean I would meet 3 members of her family – all teens. It’s not as if I would drive up and honk and wait for her. I’m too old school for that. But Emily assured me it would be fine. Normally I don’t care what a person feels toward me or about me, but regarding Emily and her family, I DID care how they viewed me. 

Being at her home for the first time went relatively uneventful, so that was a small hurdle that I felt good about. So it was just us 2 now in my vehicle and we went to a taqueria style Mexican food restaurant. She went for a frozen margarita, and liked it 🙂  She may have liked it too much since she didn’t eat much food other than an appetizer we shared. Soon she ordered another. Then another. She seemed fine until we went back to my vehicle. We went for a short drive and then back to her place where we sat outside and talked. Unbeknownst to me the tequila hit her pretty good. I don’t think she remembered much as she would tell me the next day, “I don’t remember getting home,” haha. I chuckle not making light of her intake but just a good natured type of laugh. 

I was glad she enjoyed herself and got to unwind for a few hours. She needed it. 

And unfortunately I left my credit card at that restaurant. But that would be good news 

Inconvenience. We all go through ’em.  It gets everyone more that we’d like.

Early one bright morning just 5 days removed from our Monday dinner I was headed to Emily’s place of work. She had tire problems driving to work Friday evening as she reported to her night shift job. 

That particular Saturday I had a breakfast meeting with a real estate broker to discuss a project, so it wasn’t as if I were trying to back out of helping her.

But I wasn’t about to back out. 

I knew she didn’t want to call me (to ask for help). I could feel it in her voice. She asked if I could pick her up from work the next morning (Saturday) and take her home.

A year from now no one will ever even remember if you’re late for a meeting – at least that’s how I viewed it. 

I pull up at 6:30 am on a Saturday morning to her employer’s parking lot. She jumps in. Her oldest will help with the tire later in the day, but me picking her up was a big help for her. She looked tired and sleepy so I didn’t mind helping her. From here she had to navigate me to her home, the one she left my property for. But it wasn’t as if it was something she wanted to do in the first place. Still it felt strange. I felt I was to blame. 

We talked about nothing. Really. It was a simple drive to her place. Other than a stop at McDonald’s for my favorite coffee to go. 

Later on that day, she thanked me graciously via text. And that her son was very appreciative as well.  She didn’t need to thank me. I was getting to know her and it was nice to see her in an ordinary unplanned setting. 

Driving back to Houston I knew I wanted to ask her out. I wasn’t sure how she would react. But again, it would be something casual. Close to her side of town. 

Hey I liked this girl.

Yes I made the morning meeting. I couldn’t tell you if I was on time or not.

Credit writer Neil Diamond and sung by The Monkees 1966

Rainy evening in April. The 11th to be exact. 

I had just flown in late that afternoon from a business meeting in San Luis Potosí Mexico but was so looking forward to today. 

I met Emily for the first time. 

Not as an applicant. 

Not as a tenant. 

Just Emily. 

We had agreed on a restaurant earlier near her side of the city. 

I walked in she was already there. Punctual it seems. Sitting uncomfortably at the bar. She seemed out of place (in a good way). It wasn’t her cup of tea to be there, but again, waiting on me. 

Casually dressed. Wearing a green tank top or as I call them – a wife beater. And jeans.

Should I hug her? I didn’t. We exchanged our salutations then headed back to the hostess where we found a quite booth. 

We ordered wine. A beer for me. Calamari appetizer (which she loved).

I listened and caught up with her life. She had just started working for a major distribution network and had nightshift hours but good pay. And benefits – big plus. 

I didn’t have much to offer as far as conversation but I was satisfied being a listener. To me, I sensed she needed someone to talk to. An adult. Someone that wasn’t a coworker. Someone that wasn’t her family. Just someone to talk to. I easily and comfortably obliged. 

Sometimes that’s all people need. An ear. A sounding board just so they can unpack what they have compartmentalized in their head in solitude. 

In person, in a booth – her green eyes can almost pierce right through me. Almost blinding at times. It’s not intense. Subtle and strong. I’m involved in animal rescue and I guess I’ve seen more than a 100 pair of green eyes. So to see them on her is both welcome and familiar. I have a hard time making eye contact at times. 

Our dinner went by so fast. The remainder of her dinner she took it to go. It was already getting late. Still I could listen to Emily longer. 

It was a very casual dinner but I learned some things about Emily. Mainly how strong she is emotionally given what all that’s transpired. Gosh, just a short time ago she was married to a man for 25 years and had established a family. Stability. Life just took some unique speed bumps and wild turns. Now she was scrambling to normalize her life. Find a different place to call home AND find a new job. 

I’m not speaking for anyone but certainly it makes me wonder why people have to endure such hardships. 

We agree to keep in touch.

I thought of her the whole drive home.

Unexpectedly I’ll see her again in a few days. I didn’t know it then, though.

….kept in touch anyway. 

I liked Emily. Always did. She came from a hard working background – most of it self-taught. Having moved away from home barely out of her teens, she knew how to rely on herself. And that’s not always easy. 

She moved out from my property late February 2022 with the exception of getting a few things out early March. She left the entire house clean. Obviously when a tenant does that, she is deserving of a deposit return. Interestingly, Emily never returned her lease agreement back to me when she first accepted the property. Somehow I too forgot it. She seemed trustworthy and proved it over the course of time. Still it was understood, a tenant breaks a lease, it’s implied the deposit is lost. 

We kept in touch over the next few days. She wasn’t bitter about the deposit not being returned as some would.  

My side was equally as active during those weeks- but for different reasons. I wasn’t employed by any type of W2 so I had to make ends meet as I could. Survival is difficult for everyone. No one is immune. I’ve had to depend now on properties upon my job loss the year prior.  Fortunately however, I was able to purchase a couple of single family dwellings since the financial crash of 2008/2009. And so I began to sell a few now after holding them for a long period of time and take in some equity gained. As most people know, it’s a very time consuming task, plus there are still mortgages to pay even if it’s not occupied. Having to deal with another empty property that Emily vacated wasn’t in my plans. Untimely, at best. 

Emily was busy in her quest to find employment. So I could only imagine what she was having to deal with. If I know anything, Emily is not lazy. And doesn’t depend on anyone. Her quest however daunting, was not deterred. Plus she had a family depending on her. 

For a nice distraction, I started taking Latin ballroom dance lessons. For someone like me who has no rhythm to speak of, Latin dance is difficult. There’s steps to count. Music to try and enjoy. Moves to make. As difficult as it seemed, it was good for my brain to learn something new. 

Knowing my timing wouldn’t be the best, I asked Emily “hey we should meet for lunch or dinner sometime”. I did fully comprehend the pain she was having to endure after her husband’s passing so I wouldn’t try any funny business. Plus I knew she was regaled by my interesting dating stories that always ended up as a comedic train wreck. Cupid was always seemingly elusive in my life. I viewed it as me asking her for dinner and of course I was also the entertainment. What more could she ask?

She accepted. 

That put a smile on my face.

The last quarter of 2021 suddenly became difficult for Emily. Things had changed rapidly and left her under strenuous circumstances. Having a faucet replaced in one of the baths was not quite the priority anymore. 

Unexpectedly she lost employment. She had quickly and reluctantly dipped into her savings in order to pay rent while beginning a job search in earnest. Her savings were gone.

It was 2022 now and her path would become treacherous with so many immediate fires to put out – each a priority.

The economy in general had already embarked on a downward trend the previous year. Every day consumer prices now were rapidly (not slowly) increasing twofold stressing families in all areas. Household income wouldn’t go as far as it used to.   

The time had come for Emily to break the lease on the property she was renting. It’s not something a tenant ever wants to do. Certainly it can have a deleterious effect on someone’s credit rating in attempts to either buy or rent a property in the future.

In February she began an exit strategy and had contacted several apartment complexes. Suddenly I was hit with apartment managers emailing me for references on her. Easily I could have said, “Well she’s breaking her lease so how’s that for a reference?” Technically and legally that was accurate thus crippling any opportunity Emily had in securing a place to live. Or if she did have an apartment accept her, the deposit would double or potentially triple plus pay her first month’s rent – all of this upfront – a large sum of cash. 

Expected or unexpected, the decisions tenants make cause a chain reaction to property owners – a consequence that people seldom consider. Landlords have expenses too. Property taxes, upkeep expenses (including the huge unexpected expense the prior summer), it all adds up so it is crucial a tenant pays on time. That is well-known fact, but now isn’t the time for lectures. I informed Emily that in March I would reduce her rent while she got her things in order. She had enough going on and it’s best to try and reduce not add to the stress. Additionally I wouldn’t announce to the apartment complex that she was breaking the lease early. After that I informed her of several organizations that were offering rental assistance. 

After a long hiatus Emily and I were in constant contact again. Only this time the circumstances were different. Much different. 

She moved out quickly. As painful as it was I was left with no choice but to keep her security deposit. It offered no consolation for me or for her. Yet another reason why it’s never a good idea to become friends with tenants. I had always been aware of it.  Friendships are personal. Business is business. 

I was left with a brand new faucet, receipt intact, from Home Depot purchased in October 2021 waiting on the tenant or plumber to tell me they were ready. I never heard from either.