My ex-wife and I lived the very good live never wanting - top off the line vacations, together and apart - cross coastal and trans- Atlantic. We made more money than most people dream of every attaining. She bought the finest furniture, cases of the best wines and all sorts of anti aging support. Me, I would buy all the new gadgets that came out, bought every new toy for my sons. We drove new cars every three years and had a 5000 square foot house with a deck finished basement and two wet bars.
Then - through a series of connected, unconnected, correlated and tangential events, I basically lost it all and then some - from the heights of the corporate structure - free country club, car...to
It was January of 2010, I was living away from my sons for the first time ever, and after being turned away by my closest blood relative on the planet – I ended up sleeping on the black and white tiled cold linoleum floor of an illegal gambling room.
All of the possessions, that I managed to maintain through 2 marriages and 2 divorces, and all I had acquired in my five years alone and being gainfully employed, were stored, hap-haphazardly in a garage without electricity, that could only be entered through the back door by a very small Mexican man who had to then had to raise a 1000 lb gate to open with a pulley.
My possessions included a all full and top of the line - living room, dining room, 2 full bed sets with the best bedding, a full home office, 3 computers, 4 TVs and much more - in a garage that was not secure, had no alarm and was in one of the lesser desirable parts of town.
In February of 2010 I had planned on returning home to watch the Superbowl with my boys - but a life changing event; that rivaled a dark plot from a Shakespearean tragedy, involving an estranged father in the role of an mad aging dark King Lear, a half brother addicted hopelessly to money power and cocaine, a Arabic transportation monger and sub plots that included, jealousy, mistrust and relationships lost. This scene changed MY LIFE FOREVER... (Again)
Rather than a visit home, to I found myself sleeping (and weeping) on a friends couch (friend does not come close to describing this person - he is one of my every day Saints). After two weeks I moved downstairs into a very large cat litter box.
Through out February, a month that involved more long distance treachery, deceit, thievery and me living on a suicidal edge, I finally ended up with a job that paid little, and much less after child support, I had no transportation and with less than $200 to my name. Taxis to work cost me $60 round trip
I had no car, no money and when I saw my sons, they had to sleep on the floor of this house. I had done my best though the five years before to give them everything. Weekends and times with Dad were top of the line – dinner, snacks, DVR of our favorite adult swim shows. They had unlimited computer time and a free for all when it came to the run of my then eight room apartment, now they were visitors, granted, welcomed, but still visitors. No more watching our shows, no more of them being able to separate and do different things in different parts of the apartment. My middle son was embarrassed but would never say so, my eldest son would spend less time with me and my youngest son was just trying to go with the flow.
Communications with my family were tough; I needed some money for a car and was turned down from people who I have NEVER asked for anything in my life. It was desperate. My saint was going to lend me everything that he had but I could not take more. Then, my oldest friend – one I had known for over 42 years, sent me one half of what I needed to buy a fifteen year old car. (He too is one of my saints).
In the meantime, another saint, back at the rock was trying to get as much of my belongings to me and out of harms way as he could. He got two of my computers and my best TV and sent them to me. Then – as time was running down and I had no way to get the other six rooms of furniture back to me, he and his son got what they could for themselves and stored a box of my most prized items.
Everything else I can only assume was sold, given away or thrown out by my half brother and asshole biological father. Everything – over 20 suits, clothe to fill three dressers (and the dressers) electronics, my congas, guitars and my life, all gone forever.
