craigslist (ed)

. . . and so I found the most perfectly wonderful studio apartment to sublet in Brooklyn. The young lady was going away for a year and needed a place to come home to when she returned. . . and I thought,"perfect!" I signed her lease and handed over my entire savings to cover the first month's rent and security deposit.

I began to settle in. . . and as I was coming home from work, about three days after having moved, I ran into the superintendent on the front steps. He casually asked who I was, where I was going, and I promptly informed him that I was subletting #4! His response was, "hrm. . . let's have a chat."

Apparently, the young lady I was "subletting" from actually hadn't paid her rent in 3 months, was in the process of being evicted, and actually just stole my savings and skipped town. . .

I was devastated. Where was I supposed to go now? Holy cow, how was I going to pay for another place to live if my entire savings was gone?! I sat on the floor and cried great big alligator tears that pooled around me. I felt so small and stupid and again, utterly alone.

Luckily, the super and landlord were nice enough to work something out with me. They moved me into another (much smaller, less scenic) unit and are working out a payment plan with me so that I can put down a deposit, pay rent, and maybe have some money left over for food. Still, there went my savings. . . and here I am, just barely making ends meet, all alone, somewhere in the middle of nowhere Brooklyn. . .