A friend texted me a little while ago: "I hate to ask, but I don't know who else to go to. Mind if Kat (not her real name) crashes at your place for a couple days? She doesn't have anywhere else to go and is essentially homeless."
Background: I've met Kat a few times. She's the friend of one of my BFFs, and I find her pretty insufferable. And she's a hot mess - had a shopping addiction, can't keep a job, dated a married guy, etc, etc, etc. So do I want Kat crashing with me? No, not particularly. However, even I'm not enough of a jerk to turn away a homeless acquaintance. So I said ok.
And then my friend called me. She had spoken to Kat and gotten more of the story.
Kat got kicked out of her apartment. Supposedly the landlord stopped by, decided it was "too messy" and gave her the boot. And Kat "accidentally" deposited "just one check" into her personal account from a nonprofit organization she volunteered for. A few days ago the police came to her place of work and served her with a warrant for arrest. She's been staying with the friend of friend, but a few days ago the woman had a nervous breakdown. Kat had to drive the woman to the ER and doctors told her she may not live with anyone else until she gets her mental health together, so Kat had to leave.
Ok, back the train up here. First off, as a landlord, I know it's not that simple to kick out a tenant. And we don't just show up to do spot checks. Even if we did, "messy" isn't a reason to evict. Especially in this economy. My guess, especially given Kat's history, is that she stopped paying rent and THAT'S why she got kicked out...and even then, it's NOT a quick process; it would've taken weeks or months.
As for the "accidental" deposit...Kat claims it was $500. I could be wrong, but I don't think $500 would rise to the level of charges and court, and certainly not sheriffs showing up at her work with a warrant. I'm pretty sure $500 and under is small claims court here. So I think Kat's lying about how it happened and how much money was involved.
The story about the woman and nervous breakdown is just bizarre. My hypothesis is that Kat's been crashing somewhere and overstayed her welcome.
She also claims she can't stay with her "boyfriend" because "no one is supposed to know they're dating." Umm, first off, we don't call that a boyfriend if it's a secret...and it's not even a "friend" if they won't help. Even the guy I casually hook up with occasionally would let me crash with him if I had nowhere else to go. Sounds to me like Kat's dating a married man again, and that's why he "can't" have her stay there.
I told Kat I work for xx (something government/state related) agency, and as such, can't be anywhere near her if there's an outstanding warrant; in fact, I'm legally obligated to report her whereabouts if I know said warrant exists.
Since then, radio silence. Our mutual friend (who's also horrified) texted to tell me I'm off the hook.
Jeez...I thought MY life was a mess! In comparison, I feel like a mature, responsible adult! I'm wearing clean clothes, my utilities are all working (at the moment) and I fed my dog today. I even did a 5k and a few craft projects over the weekend. Things could be much, much worse.
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