After breaking up with her boyfriend, Alina had to move into her car. As a teacher, she had access to her school facilities, but a colleague caught her one day, and things didn’t go as expected.
“I can’t believe this, Mark!” Alina yelled at her boyfriend, having caught him in bed with another woman. “IN OUR OWN HOUSE?!”
“Alina, calm down. It’s just… it’s….”Mark lost his footing.
“It’s… WHAT?! There’s no justifying this! Get out!” Alina continued screaming.
Alina moved in with her mother in her car from the school parking lot.
“You know what? I’ve been tired of you for months, and you can’t kick me out. My name is on the lease! YOU have to get out!”Mark shouted back. Alina was shocked to discover that Mark was correct.
After a year of dating, she moved in with him. They never added her to their lease agreement as they were waiting for a new one to be signed. OMG! OMG! She thought. But she wasn’t going to let Mark see her distress.
“Fine! I’m leaving!”She exclaimed and looked at her bedside partner, the catty woman. “Good luck with him because if he can cheat on his girlfriend of many years, he’ll do it to you too.”
She kept her belongings at Kiara’s home.
Alina took out a bag to start packing her stuff. She was back in her car an hour later. “I’ll be back for the rest!” she yelled angrily at Mark because the truth is that she couldn’t fit everything into her car in one trip.
Kiara, one her friends, asked if she could come along to the crash site with her. “I’m sorry, Alina. I don’t have any room right now. My boyfriend’s sister is down on her luck, and I had to invite her to stay with us. But I can let you store some of your things in our garage,” Kiara said.
It was better than nothing. She finished packing her things from Mark’s place and was done with him. “Thank you, Kiara. I’ll get them as soon as I find a place,” She shared the news with her friend.
“I wish I could do more,” Kiara added, feeling bad that she didn’t have room. Unfortunately, Alina didn’t have enough savings for a deposit or rent due to her low teacher salary. However, she realized that she could save money if she lived in her vehicle for a few months.
She began living in her car and hoped to save enough money soon.
So she parked her car in the school parking lot and started living there. She could use the gym facilities when everyone was gone, and everything would be all right soon.
Due to financial difficulties, she still lived there several months later. Her car needed a new battery, and her mother asked to borrow a bit of money for some expensive medicine.
She had learned to live with her arrangement even though no one knew what was happening. Her students were too young not to notice and all her colleagues had left by 5 p.m. She showers early, even if no one is around.
However, one morning was different. When Coach Franco Patton arrived in the hall, she was on her way to the gym showers carrying a towel along with her toiletries. “Miss Duncan? What are you doing here so early?”He was curious.
Coach Patton captured her in the gym showers.
“Oh, Coach Patton. There was something wrong with my shower this morning, and I came here early. I’m so sorry,” Alina lied to believe that he would believe her story. “What about you?”
“I was going through some plays last night, and I fell asleep on the couch. I’m so embarrassed,” He laughed and said the words.
“No worries. Well… I’ll see you later,” Alina said and went to the bathroom. She was relieved he didn’t ask anything further. But she didn’t know that Coach Patton got suspicious.
He always had a crush on Miss Duncan and didn’t believe the lie about her home shower. He started to pay more attention to Alina, and he noticed her getting in the backseat of her car that day. She’s sleeping in her car, He thought.
Franco shared the reason he invited her to dinner.
“Miss Duncan?”He called her the next day after school.
“Oh, Coach. You can call me Alina. We’re colleagues,” She said this after she turned around.
“In that case, you can call me Franco. Anyway, would you like to go to dinner with me tonight?” Franco asked her.
Alina was very surprised at his request. “Well, that sounds lovely,” She agreed. They met at a nearby restaurant and were seated immediately. At first, they engaged in small talk, but Franco wanted to be honest.
“Listen, Alina. I have to be honest. I saw you getting into your car last night. Are you living there right now?” Franco asked.
She agreed to borrow money.
“Oh, no. I knew you didn’t believe my shower lie. Yeah, I broke up with my boyfriend several months ago. I’ve been saving for a new place, but these months have been a little tough on my wallet,” Alina said.
“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Prices in this city are getting way too high for even the tiniest space. It’s crazy,” Franco stated.
“Right? It’s impossible to get a new place with such high deposits too. But I’m near my goal now,” Alina added. They talked about everything and realized how much they had in commun.
“I can lend you some money so you can move immediately. You can’t live there anymore. It’s not safe,” Franco spoke at the end.
Alina thought of his gesture many years later.
“Oh, it’s ok. I’m close to the goal,” Alina replied. She refused to accept his offer.
“You can pay me back whenever, and no interest. Also, no strings attached. Please. I’ll feel so much better,” Franco advised her. Franco finally encouraged Alina to accept, and he helped her move to a new location. They were friends for a while.
He paid her back a few more months later. He eventually asked her out again and she accepted. Franco and his wife were married a few more years later. He was always kind and caring.
What can we take away from this story?
Tell your friends about this story. It may brighten their day or inspire them.
