North Carolina

Disclosure: For legal reasons, names can’t be used in the following blog so the main character/s will be pronouns in parenthesis – i.e (she) (her) = same person and (him)(he) =same person

 

I recall the excitement…..the enthusiastic forward movement toward our new life. We were ready! Ready for the first day of the rest of our lives in a new, exciting future. So many plans! So much promised….so much to look forward to! This was going to be us. This was going to be family. This was going to be amazing!

I’ve always been told that, when something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. However, up until recently, I’ve tried to take the more positive mindset that, people are inherently good and what we put “out there”, returns. So, it was with that mind that I jumped on board.

Billy and I had a storybook NYC life. Recently married….both well established in jobs that provided for a lifestyle that was comfortable and carefree. There was lots of laughter, lots of silliness and, most of all, a childlike anticipation for what our lives were going to be and the future of “us”. Of course there were contemplative moments of change, but, for the most part, we were living the dream in NYC.

On occasion, we had spoken about whether or not NYC was going to be our forever home but, hadn’t really delved into any serious thought about it until we met his father’s latest ornament. (She) was a dream! Their visits were fun, friends loved (her) and (she) seemed a breath of fresh air. They appeared the perfect couple, happily in love and eager for us to be a bigger part of their lives. There was passing mention of Billy and I moving down to their world in Morehead City, NC but, it was mostly a nonchalant idea, brought up in fleeting, casual conversation. It was only after a couple more visits, and a fateful trip down the line to stand in their wedding that the idea started to hold. We met, and walked down the aisle with (her) two daughters and seemed to bond pretty quickly with them…..and of course there was the granddaughter…the adorable little girl who stole my heart! (She) was exceptionally convincing about having us move down there on this particular visit and, suddenly threw in the option for me to take over (her) Real Estate Company! (She) was ready to retire. What?!? Is this a dream? I had always wanted to get into Real Estate and this was PERFECT! In previous conversations, it had been made clear that Billy’s dad had always wanted him to take over (his) construction company when (he) was ready to retire and, that day was getting closer. So, in the midst of all this wedding bliss…..their wedding was a month after ours….the seed was firmly planted in our minds. How fun it would be! A new adventure where both of us had the opportunity to take over family businesses and start a new life. There was a house that was going to be built on the water…..and, I will say, the beaches of NC are beautiful…..we were going to be surrounded by family and, best of all, start our own! How exciting!! We were whisked around the area, shown the lot where our house was to be built, put up in one of the beach houses that I would be managing and shown all of the other properties that were under (her) companies supervision and what would be my future business. We spent time at the ranch where they lived, riding the horses and just enjoying life. Billy’s family was warm and welcoming….everything seemed perfect.

Once back in NYC, we were faced with the decision. To stay put, or take the leap. It was months of back and forth. Weighing the pros and cons….should we, shouldn’t we…what if we hate it….what about being accepted (it’s not the most progressive area!)….what about brunches??!! We love our brunches!! What about our friends…..giving up jobs….comfort levels….all of it. Were we ready for country living??? All the while, bouncing these things off of (him) and (her). (She) was always quick to ensure that everything would be fine and, if there were any issues, we would be surrounded by family and we’d work things out together. (She) was always so enthusiastic about it and was the voice of persuasion when our doubts/fears came up. What could go wrong? (He), though not as boisterous and more understanding/cautious of how big of a change it was going to be for us, was also very supportive and assured us that everything would be set up and fine. So, it was after many hours of thought…many conversations and soul searching that we decided, YES! We’re going to do it! After all, it seemed a no brainer. A house! A yard! Dogs! Kids! Jobs! Not only jobs but we would be taking over these businesses!! What a great opportunity!

After we made the decision to move our lives became a whirlwind. We had a bit of added pressure on us to make the decision because our lease was coming up and we had to either renew or give notice. We gave notice and we had about two months left in NYC!! It was crazy. I was super stoked to get my Real Estate License and start my new career in Real Estate and was assured by (her) that it would be easier for me to get my license here and that it would be a simple process afterwards to get my NC license. So it was school, work, anticipation, excitement, fear, second guessing, planning, emailing, calling, uncertainty, reassurance…oh it was going to be amazing! It was all highly emotional as this was going to be a HUGE change! I remember one Sunday sitting at brunch when I got a text from (her). It was a video of a horse (she) had just bought for me!! What?! This is amazing! I was going to take riding lessons and show this horse! How fun would that be?!! I believe it was the following weekend….or perhaps the weekend before…I can’t recall the exact sequence of events as it really was a whirlwind leading up to the move….that we both got another text from (her). This time it was of the house that we were going to be staying in while ours got built. It was one of the properties (her) company managed. It looked huge! 3 bedrooms, a gigantic back yard….perfect for our new boxer pups we were going to get….and, it was close to the ranch! Omg! Everything was falling into place. This was going to be SO FUN!

We booked the UHaul and packed up our lives. It was difficult saying good bye to friends but, everyone was very supportive in our endeavor. It was going to be exactly what we needed and, best of all, we would now have room for people to visit…and, really, it wasn’t THAT far away. It was March 21st, 2015 when we left. It was a miserable, cold day and we were met with a snow storm that morning. Perhaps I should have seen that as a bit of foreshadowing but, there was way too much excited, nervous energy to think of such things. We were doing it! Away we went into the future…invincible lovers ready for our new life!

I don’t know why our arrival there is one of the clearest memories imprinted in my mind but, it’s as if it happened yesterday. We pulled up into the driveway…..after driving what seemed like forever through the woods of North Carolina….and there it was! Our new home! All power washed, freshly manicured lawn, a huge expanse of living space with (him), (her) and the beautiful granddaughter all sitting on the front steps waiting for us. “Welcome home” is what I kept hearing. This was going to be GREAT! Upon entering our new abode we were completely shocked as, unbeknownst to us, (she) had completely renovated the place. Everything was brand new! We were given the tour, our wedding favors had been placed on the counter as a way of saying, “this is your home”. Very sweet. I remember DYING when I saw that we had a washer and dryer because this luxury is unheard of in NYC apt living! And then the yard. The backyard was ENORMOUS!! It seemed to go on forever!! Heaven! Our own private living space. Oh the family gatherings we were going to have! This, was it.

We took a few days to unpack and get the feel of our surroundings before starting our new jobs. So much fun setting up our new place. We finally had a HOME! Company vehicles were handed out for our use and here we were. Ready. Countless shopping trips to pick out new furniture and things for the house as it was three times the size of what we were coming from. So much space! I will say, it was on these excursions that I was keenly aware that we were not in NYC anymore! Although people were very friendly, I couldn’t help but notice that we stuck out like tits on a boar. On previous visits, I guess it hadn’t been so noticeable as they had been short and most of the time spent was with family. Also, when visiting a place, you’re in a different mindset than you are when living there. I felt somewhat uncomfortable for quite awhile….actually, I don’t think I ever really felt secure. There was always an underlying fear of self expression….which, could very well have been my own insecurity because, in retrospect, people were generally accepting and kind but it always felt a little hostile for some reason. Again, could have just been me as I have lived most of my adult life in cities where being gay is just part of everyday life. Of course there were some looks and whispers but, never really experienced anything aggressive or confrontational. Well, except for that one time at the bank…….but, that’s Billy’s story! It didn’t really matter though as there was so much anticipation for what was to come.

We started our new jobs and began settling into our new life. I quite enjoyed learning the business and FINALLY living a “normal” 9 to 5 life!! No more bartending for me!! I felt like I was part of something, taking in all of the beachfront properties and learning the nuances of each of them and preparing for the oncoming “season” of renters. I loved answering the phones, taking reservations and making sure everything was set up for our guests arrival. It was a small company and I was going to be in charge of everything. I loved it. I was given pretty much free run of the goings on as, after all, it was going to be my company!! There were a few things that I saw/noticed that caused concern but, I knew that, over time, I would be able to “fix” them. One of (her) daughters and I worked well together. This daughter had been given the reins of the business a while back as (she), as was mentioned in one of (her) coercive moving speeches, wanted to retire from the company. The daughter wasn’t keen on the business and was going to move away to pursue her own adventure, thus giving me the opportunity to take it over. We became fast friends and spent most of every day together. She showed me the ropes and introduced me to a lot of the owners. It was going to be GREAT! It was during this orientation that I realized that the business wasn’t quite what I had been told it was. I was told that a lot of the business was in property management and vacation rentals….as Atlantic Beach is a huge vacation spot…but, that a substantial part was also in buying and selling real estate. As a matter of fact, in another text that (she) sent during one of our weekend brunches prior to moving, was a picture of this gorgeous waterfront home that I was told was going to be my first listing!! (She) was going to “wait to put it on the market” until I arrived and it was going to be my “baby”. Well, further on down the road I would realize that, this place had been on the market for quite some time and (she) couldn’t sell it. But, that’s for later.

Life was good. There were a lot of dinners out with the family. Lots of ranch time with the horses….easter dinner with the WHOLE clan at our house. I was SO excited about this! I love to cook and entertain and this was a BIG reason for us moving down there. Family time. There ended up being about 30 people that came….including our neighbors which kind of invited themselves…which, was fine! It was fun to meet them and feel like part of the community. It was a roaring success and I was so excited for the next one! Everything was amazing. Billy bought a truck that he had been dreaming of from the moment we decided we were going to move and we added two boxers, Samson and Delilah, to our family….something that I had always dreamed of! All the while with (her) right there fanning the flame and cheering us on. (She) took us deep-sea fishing during one of the competition weekends which was amazing and, Billy actually caught a Blue Marlin!! Which we were to find out was a big deal apparently! He had to be “initiated” by jumping off the boat once back. We landscaped the front and back yards…..made it our home…and jumped head first into our new country lifestyle. It wasn’t until about two months or so in that I started wondering about “things” and when Billy started having concerns about his job/company. There were some key factors that just seemed a little “off”.

Before I continue, I’ll need to explain how things were set up. About a year or so before we got there, (she) had moved (her) real estate business into one of the offices at the construction company as, prior to that, (she) had taken over the accounting job for the construction company. So, both businesses were under the same roof. I stuck to tending the goings on with the real estate company which kept me pretty busy and out of the office a lot of the time. As time rolled on, when I would return to the office from errands or whatever the day had me doing, more and more I could feel the tension in the air. Once home, Billy would let me know what was going on and how he felt that there was something weird going on. Given the fact that he was eventually suppose to take over the company, being the keen business person that he is, he wanted to start getting into the financials of the business. Profit/loss statements etc. Well, whenever this was brought up, he was met with resistance from (her) saying that it wasn’t his business….everything was fine….(she’d) do it later. When he asked for the passwords for (her) computer and the books, again, it was blown off as unnecessary. Even though every other computer in the office, the front desk, project manager’s and his dad’s – the owner – he had access to. During this time, I was becoming privy to some shady practices being done in the real estate company and also of the horrible reputation that it had. It was concerning, obviously, but, I was confident I could turn that around given some time and energy. I think I knew these little hiccups were the beginning of the end but, I just didn’t want to believe it as this was GOING TO BE our new life. After all, we had spent so much time and emotion on this decision, (she) was so supportive and enthusiastic, their relationship was supposedly great, so, a few arguments here and there was normal. Right? Not so much.

Things started getting progressively worse. Especially between Billy and (her) and (she) just refused to work with him and provide the reports and things that he needed. This obviously caused tension which started carrying over into our “non-work” lives. A distinct moment of change that I remember was in May when we had a couple of friends from NYC visiting us. Billy’s truck was brand new and the bed had not yet been treated for scratch resistance etc. He had very strict rules with his truck…rightfully so as it was his first brand new, hot off the lot, zero miles, vehicle! We were having a bbq that day with all of the family and our guests. It was made VERY clear, on several occasions, that nobody was allowed to be in the back of the truck until it had been treated. Well, about halfway through the event, (she) decides that (she’s) going to go behind Billy’s back with (her) daughter and get in the truck bed with coronas and tequila shots, video it, and put it on Facebook. Not such a great idea, especially knowing how particular Billy was about this and him explicitly saying he didn’t want anyone in there. Long story short, this was brought to Billy’s attention and, of course, there was a confrontation. A nasty one, in front of our guests, that ended in drunken (her) crying and fleeing the scene because (she) knew (she) was wrong in what (she) had done. I think it was another power thing with (her). (She) had to be very much in control and nobody could tell (her) what to do. A side that we never saw during any visits prior.

Flash forward a month or so. Tensions were continually mounting at the office and our ranch visits and “family time” were significantly falling off. It was becoming painfully clear that the state of (his) and (her) relationship was not even remotely close to what they had displayed to us, or to what they had told us. (Her) daughters were not a fan of (him) which we were also unaware of, and, at any hint of an argument, they would get all puffed up, nasty and immediately defend their mother, regardless of the situation. It wasn’t your typical defense but, quite frankly, a disgusting display of raunchy, redneck attitude. In the midst of all of this, they had decided to go on a honeymoon. They were going to be gone for a week. It was during this time that Billy decided he was going to go through (her) office to figure out why (she) was being so shady and adamant about not giving him the reports etc that he needed. Obviously, being the owners son and the future owner of the business, he had the master key so, when (she) left and locked up (her) office, I’m sure (she) figured that (she) was covered. It didn’t take long to discover some questionable credit card bills and other little things. He couldn’t get into the computer as (she) refused to give anybody the password and, try as we might, we couldn’t figure it out! As I mentioned before, I was working very closely with one of (her) daughters in the real estate business and our office was right next to (hers). I had been out prepping houses that day and when I came back to the office, all hell had broken loose! The daughter had seen Billy going into her mom’s office and going through (her) stuff….all of which were associated with the business he was running, nothing personal…flipped her wig, called her mother and proceeded to tell Billy how awful he was and how she really felt about him. Not a pleasant conversation from what I understand from those involved. In true form to the kind of people these daughters are, apparently during the confrontation, the daughter had texted her sister to come and, of course she did, all on fire as well. Well, now here I am, stuck in the middle of these two and trying to figure out some way of keeping things civil so I can continue working without all of this crazy energy. Suffice it to say, the next couple of days were VERY awkward around the office. We were all waiting patiently for them to get back so we could talk about what Billy had found out…the daughters anxious to throw us under the bus….and try to remedy the situation.

The day that they were to return, a Sunday, Billy and I decided that we wanted to have his dad over to our place to go over what we had found before confronting (her) with it. However, we were once again overruled by (her). It was apparent that the lovely daughters had been in their moms ear and we received a text message, from (his) phone, saying that, on their arrival, they wanted to “have a family meeting at the ranch to discuss things because it hurts our hearts the way things are now”. Well, Billy’s dad would never say something like that and it was just icing on the cake as we had noticed that, during their time away, the posts being made on (his) Facebook were obviously being done by (her) as none of it was language (he) would have used. So, we knew this was going to be interesting. Billy continually asked…begged…his dad to come over to our place before this “family meeting” so (he) wouldn’t have to be surprised at what he was going to show/bring up. (He) didn’t oblige…most likely because of (her) not allowing (him) to….but, that’s just an assumption. The rest of that day was awful. The anticipation of what was about to go down……the realization that our suspicions were being validated by evidence found…..the uncertainty of what was going to happen next. Our big dream not so shiny anymore. Anxiety level – MAXIMUM.

We arrived at the ranch that evening to everyone sitting around outside. An ominous welcome as tensions were so high. The mayhem started almost instantaneously. I can’t even write most of the things that were said that night but, suffice it to say that some true colors were shown and, they weren’t very pretty. At one point I did ask the mother of the granddaughter to excuse the little angel from the scene as the words being used need not be heard by a 2 year old…..especially coming from her mother. I was quickly sworn at and informed that “she’s part of the family as well and can hear whatever the f*#k you have to say”. Ok then. As things progressed, it got worse and worse. Once Billy produced the evidence of theft, it was really the beginning of the end. The funny part was, (she) just sat there, arms folded, leaning back in (her) chair. The daughters did most of the screaming, while Billy tried to get explanation. It was gross. Really gross. I try to block that night out of my memory because it was the most despicable display I’ve ever witnessed from other human beings. The lovely daughters at some point tried to physically fight Billy, screaming, spitting, swearing…….all the while (“mom”) sat there. There was one point when (she) looked over at (him) and asked if (he) was going to defend (her) at which point, (he) simply said, “why”. It was also strange how quiet and unfazed (he) seemed with all that was going on. We were there around 3 hours, I think, and, once it was clear there was nowhere for this “meeting” to go but continually down hill as (she) was offering no answers or reasons why, we left. Awful. Imagine now, we all had to be at work together the next day! Good times.

I remember being somewhat in a state of shock the rest of the evening. I don’t think Billy and I spoke much to each other……we were both blown away by what happened I think. I do recall thinking that it was a relief to have all of this out in the open though. Regardless of what the repercussions were going to be. At least we had finally been able to prove, and voice, our suspicions. I’m not sure I slept much that night as I awaited the impending doom of dawn.

(She) came in late the next day……all coy and docile, pretending nothing had happened. It was an awful, awkward day….(she) was in and out…the daughter I worked with didn’t show up….fortunately…so, I didn’t have to deal with that! It was mostly business as usual and, when I was done my duties for the day, left the office with Billy and the rest of the office workers, leaving (her) there, and headed home. Nothing had been mentioned to me, by anyone, about the previous evening and, as far as I know, not to Billy either. Strange though that the owner of a company wouldn’t want to push a bit and discuss, with or without (her), more in detail the evidence discovered. But, that’s just my opinion.

I arrive the next day to work to complete and total madness. Before I even got all the way through the parking lot to the office, I could tell something was weird. Lovely…here we go. The front door of the office building had been chained shut, yet the office staff was inside. Strange. I was let in and, let me tell you, I have never felt such tension/madness in my life. I learned the meaning of….rather experienced the meaning of…”you could cut the tension with a knife”. Apparently, at some point during that night, the computer server for the construction company had been stolen, along with some accounting files….payroll, etc…and some personal items that belonged to (him) and one of the project managers…….which is ironic as (she) always had it out for her. Of course there weren’t…and still aren’t…any cameras installed so it’s difficult to prove, although easy to deduce, what happened. Somebody had been caught and was trying to get rid of the more incriminating evidence. There had been no forced entry and whomever the thief was, knew exactly what to get to cripple the company….and of course get rid of any and all evidence, bookkeeping records, etc….where to find it and how to get it done. An inside job you think? Duh. (She), of course, didn’t show up for work again after that night.

So. Here I am. Responsible for running (her) company….and, the daughter I worked with had gone on vacation the day after the showdown….but, what do I do? The server for the Real Estate company had also gone missing……ironic….so, not only was I crippled technologically but, also emotionally as, how the hell do I choose where my “loyalty” is. After all, this was suppose to be my company, it was the beginning of peak season and I had people checking in that week that needed to be taken care of! WTF. I do the best that I can do that day, and the next as, for some strange reason, there was some kind of hope that things were going to somehow work themselves out. Yeah right. I think it was the second day, after I had done all that I could do to make sure the arriving guests were set up, that the magnitude of what had happened hit me. Everything we had been told, the hours…days…weeks….of anquish/anxiety trying to make the right decision about our future, the person we had been shown, the house by the water, our new lives. All of it. Lies. I obviously discontinued doing anything for the Real Estate company and started helping where ever I could with the construction company. This was Wednesday. Somehow over the next day or so it was decided that I would try and assume the now vacant accounting role and we would start “rebuilding” everything that had been stolen. I remember sitting in that office…(her) office…in total shock/disbelief/confusion/fear not knowing what the hell I was suppose to be doing or what was going to happen to us.

To give you an idea of the kind of person we discovered we were dealing with, I’ll relay this incident. Wednesday morning, which ended up being the last day I worked for (her) company, I was doing my normal duties….prepping houses for check-ins, collecting the mail, etc…as I was still trying to figure out what I was going to do. Well, it was later that afternoon that I decided I would no longer work for (her). So, as mentioned, the server for the Real Estate company was gone also so I had no access to anything. I worked on a remote computer where I kept copies of pictures that I took for advertising and various other things….letterheads etc…that I had created. All of which the originals were on the main server. When it was clear my job was no longer an option, I got rid of all of the copies that I had on that computer as it belonged to the construction company and was going to now be used there. Thursday comes and I receive an email stating that (she) was going to call the police because I was withholding mail. No bitch, I was doing my job and, the mail was where I always put it. IN THE OFFICE. Not my problem you’re too scared to come get it. But, needless to say, I freaked out and decided I was going to bring the mail to the police station where it would be out of my hands and (she) could pick it up. Well, I didn’t want to go alone….for obvious reasons…..so, Billy and his dad came with me. After standing outside of the station for what seemed like hours….it was a small station and whoever the on duty person was had stepped out of the office so the door was locked….an officer pulls up and asks what’s going on. I tell him the story and ask him to take the mail. He refuses saying that it’s not his responsibility and that I had nothing to worry about. He suggested I take the mail to her house and put it in her mailbox!! LOL! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Bullshit. I pleaded….begged that officer….in the middle of the parking lot….to take the mail…to the point that I told him I was going to just set it on the ground and leave and then he would have to be responsible, to which he stated that if I did that then I could be charged. What. The. Actual. Fuck. I was falling apart, frazzled to no end, not knowing what to do. This asshole cop refused to help out in any way. Meanwhile, for whatever reason, the owner/father, (he), is off to the side laughing like this was some kind of joke. It was in that moment that I realized exactly what kind of people I was dealing with. I don’t know what happened to the mail but, I refused to have any more contact with it so it was passed of to (him) and that was it. I got in my truck and broke ALL THE WAY down on the way home. I would later be summoned to court on charges of theft and defacing (her) business. You cannot even imagine that phone call. I have yet to go to court as (she) keeps postponing it…probably due to all of the evidence that is mounting up against (her) and (she’s) trying to come up with more lies to cover up (her) sins. I’m telling you, I have been around. Lived in a lot of places and dealt with a lot of people in my life and NEVER have I come across such evil. This bitch would give a baby a cobra if it benefitted (her).

Then Friday arrived and, we received an eviction notice. We were to vacate our home within 3 days and, on the 3rd day, the police were going to arrive with the bitch to make sure that we had vacated. Flashback to our arrival. Obviously we didn’t sign a lease as this was a family arrangement and our lives were going to be amazing. Right? Why would we question that? After all, we were all going to live happily ever after. Not so much. So, needless to say, now we’re really fucked. Things were already tense between Billy and his dad, between Billy and I……and this, was really the beginning of the downward spiral. It was decided that, as a temporary solution, Billy, me and the dogs would camp out in a little office building….the Quansan Hut (MAYBE 100 sq/ft) that was empty beside the main building until (him) and (his) crew could fix up a house that (he) owned that had been vacant for awhile. This was suppose to be a MAXIMUM of two weeks before they could get the work done. Whatever. We didn’t have any other options so, away we go, packing up our home, our dreams, our lives…all within a 3 day deadline. I don’t need to explain the mood. Use your imagination. It was ugly. Stress. Yelling. Disappointment. Loss. All of it was prevalent and at the fore front. Billy was a total mess and, me, I think I was still just in shock at what was going on, but, I felt like I had to be the strong one to try and be there for Billy as he spiraled. After all, this was his family so, based on the emotions I was feeling, I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. So, I put up the barrier and did what I had to do to try and maintain some kind of calm through all of this.

Sunday. We managed to get everything packed, made sure we cleaned the house from top to bottom so the bitch wouldn’t have anything to try and nail us on….took pictures, of course to document such….and headed to the hut. Needless to say, the only thing that got unpacked was our bed, and some things for the pups. There wasn’t room for anything else. Now it was time to suck it up, realize that our “dream” was not going to be what we had envisioned…or had been told…and figure out what our new future looked like. I remember the first time I went to look at the house that was being renovated for us to move into it. When I say crack house, everything that could possibly come to your mind, was what this place was. It had sat empty for years. Windows were broken, drug paraphernalia around, mold, all of it. The place was disgusting. But, we were assured every effort was going to be made to clean it up and have it ready for us ASAP. Ok. One evening that week we had gone to dinner with friends and, in trying to make light of everything that was happening, decided to go up to the house and see what the neighborhood was like at night. Probably not such a good idea as it only bred more fear but, the reason I mention this is, after that visit, it was deemed the Amityville Horror House. You cannot even imagine the basement of this place!! I guess a sewer line had broken at some point and had leaked into a sink that was down there….gross. It was unfinished and CREEPY AS HELL! There was even a Chucky-like doll that had been left randomly sitting on a shelf. Needless to say, I would not EVER be going down there again. There was an attic room which, that night in the dark, felt somehow “occupied” and a weird/random room that lead off of the master, through the bathroom to the back of the house that was also VERY odd…..the door to which was never left opened when we moved in.

The next days would turn into weeks, then turn into months. We were in that damn Quansan hut….homeless basically….for 2 months. 2. Fucking. Months. Tensions mounted, escalated, blew up…..not sure you can imagine the stress. Not was it just because of our “living” situation but, now, somewhere along the way, I was given the task of going through all of the bank statements and tracing anything suspicious to bring further evidence against (her). It was incredibly tedious to say the least. Here I am, now the Private Investigator of the woman who had completely fucked us over. Hours upon hours upon days upon days upon weeks upon weeks of looking at every. single. transaction going back about 2 years. No small task as the construction company is a large operation and there were many to decifer. Unbelievable. On top of all of this, also trying to maintain/salvage relationships with vendors, keeping the employees paid, figuring out the tax system, inputing any kind of data I could recover, the list goes on and on and on. I was also dutied to getting all of this information in a cohesive format so that it could be presented to lawyers/police officers etc. All outlined, numbered, cross referenced etc etc…all of which seemed to never be good enough for (him). When in actual fact, ALL of this madness could have been avoided had the man had any balls. It was getting extremely tedious and I was at my breaking point. To make matters worse, during this time I would also find out that (she) had lost her real estate license years back and was operating illegally and, that house (she) said she was waiting to list for me to sell? Yeah right, it had been on the market for years and (she) couldn’t sell it….mostly due to (her) unfortunate reputation. On top of all of this, during a simple background check, we found that (she) had been let go from a previous real estate company (she) worked for because of embezzlement suspicions….which was settled out of court. Don’t you think this is something you should do as a BUSINESS OWNER when you give somebody signing rights to your company?!? Girlfriend/wife or not. But, again, just my opinion.

The day came when we were to move into our new “home”. The workers had done a good job on the parts they had touched…..only a couple of the rooms had been redone as money and time were of the essence….but, it still looked and felt like a crack den. Whatever. It was space. Remember, all the while this is going on, we have two boxer pups who are needing to be house broken and trained. Not an easy task as their lives had also been completely uprooted and they were feeling our stress as well. Poor little angels. Anyway, we unloaded our things……that had been sitting in the back of a truck, in the heat, for 2 months…into the house and proceeded to try and make the most of what we had been dealt. However, try as we might, it just didn’t work.

Somewhere during this time, I had reached my limit and could no longer deal with delving through all of the bullshit and facing yet another “no” from authorities. You see, I had also been given the job of escorting (him) to all of the legal appointments trying to get somebody to do something about what had been discovered. Every. single. time we were given a head shake….rightfully so….or told to take it elsewhere. The problem being, signing rights had long ago been given to (her) as the “accountant” and now “wife” of the business/owner. Yeah. Good luck with that. In my findings alone, I had uncovered about $200,000 that had been embezzeled/stolen yet, nobody of authority gave a damn given the situation. Again, rightfully so as (he) should have known (his) own financials for God’s sake. So amazingly stupid. All of it. ALL. OF. IT. I began to focus my attention on trying to reconcile/input/rebuild the Quickbooks for the company…all without any training, just by trial and error. Again, tedious doesn’t even do the job justice. It was a nightmare…and mostly without any thanks.

Things were shit. Our relationship was suffering. Billy’s relationship with his father was suffering and we began to realize that, our dream was REALLY over. Try as we might to mend all of this mess, it just wasn’t happening. Billy started looking for a job outside of the area, back to what he was doing prior to the collapse of our lives. At the time, NYC was out of the question as we were still trying to believe that all that we had left wasn’t for not and that somehow we were still going to have our house, our new life, our dream. Long story short, he got a job offer in Raleigh and that was going to be our next move. It was going to be great! We would get out from under all the crazy that was Newport and start building again. Well, I should have known after our first visit to Raleigh to try and find a place to live that it wasn’t meant to be. Nothing that we looked at was what we thought it was, or would have worked for us. We got back to Newport, exhausted and frustrated….fighting/arguing most of the way back…which, unfortunately had become our new routine. We decided on another day to go back and look and somehow I stumbled on a website that, on our return, enabled us to look at several places that would work for us. We were approved for a new 3 bedroom house in a cute housing complex…that had a huge pool!!…..about 15 minutes outside of Raleigh. Perfect! Finally things were going our way!! This was it! Billy was excited for his new job and I was going to continue working remotely for the construction company as the accountant, going back once a week to sign checks for vendors and employees…..the only thing I couldn’t do online….while studying for my NC Real Estate License.

We tried. We really did try to make it work but, Raleigh just wasn’t us. We were lucky enough to have some friends and some of my family come through and, all the while, we put on a face that things were good…showed them around town, etc….but, it just wasn’t working. It just didn’t feel like home…..Billy being called a “faggot” across a restaurant didn’t help. Also, the weekly trips back to hell I just couldn’t manage any longer. I couldn’t have the nightmare shoved in my face anymore. The longer the drama of trying to get retribution and not getting any cooperation went on, not only did it make me more angry at (her) but also continued to undermine whatever respect I had left for (him). So, once again, we were faced with a decision. Where to go. Well, Billy had been doing some freelance work for a company in NY while also working for the Raleigh company. The NY company liked the work he did and offered him a job. Well then. After all of that. All of the heartache. All of the angst and stress making the decision to move out of NY, now, it appears we’re moving back. At this point, I knew Billy was all about moving back so, regardless of my apprehension, I supported him because it seemed like finally he was getting back to his “normal” self and, I figured this move would be good for him. Me, honestly, I wasn’t a fan of the decision but, alas….I’m resilient right?! But, I couldn’t help thinking about what I was going to do once back. It kept me up at night. Every night. The thought of getting back into bar/restaurant/night work was not appealing at all to me, especially seeing that I had given up one of the best bartending jobs when we left and knew that I’d being starting at the bottom of anywhere else I applied in that world. All of that aside, I had also gotten used to the day job thing and didn’t want to go back to working nights. And what about the dogs? How the hell are we going to manage TWO boxers in a NYC apartment?!?

It’s now the end of Nov. Billy’s new job starts the beginning of January so we decide we’re going to move between Christmas and NYE. We book a bus….yes a bus…to NY for Dec 10th and give ourselves a day and a half to find an apartment. Long story short, we had settled on a couple of neighborhoods, based on cost vrs size to accommodate our “children” and devoted about half a day to each neighborhood. The first day sucked. We didn’t find anything that would really work….looking back on it through the eyes of a newly licensed NY Real Estate Broker, the broker we had SUCKED that day…….but, fortunately, the second day we found a place that was going to be PERFECT! A newly renovated, 3 bedroom duplex in Brooklyn….just off both the L and M trains! We both knew when we were making the decision to move back that we weren’t going to be able to “pick up where we left off”. We weren’t going to be able to live in the West Village anymore but, that was going to be okay because at least we would be back “in the city” and amongst friends. So, we kept our fingers crossed that we would be approved and, fortunately, we were! Yay! Our new home….again. Billy was over the moon the next couple of weeks in anticipation of moving back. I, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel an immense amount of apprehension as, it wasn’t going to be as easy for me. Billy was going right back into the world he left as far as a job goes but I was being faced with a mountain. Starting all over again……in NYC. At 42. Yeah. There’s that. But, I tried to stay positive and “believe” everything would work out. It did seem like we were meant to move back the way things fell into place for us while here looking for an apartment. If any of you know what it’s like to find a place in NYC then you will know that we kinda lucked out, so it felt good. Finally we were dealt a break.

We packed up the Uhaul, dogs and us in the front, and away we went…….for two days. I think the only way we actually got through that drive was knowing that we were FINALLY escaping the drama of North Carolina. We were on our way back “home”. Back to our lives and friends. Back to what we knew.

It hasn’t been easy…at all….but, that’s another blog. We take each day as it comes, trying to rebuild and mend ourselves and our relationship. Trying to adjust to our new, New York life. The good thing being, we “survived” the worst of it….right??