Haroldine

Haroldine didn't quite follow along with the guidelines she and I discussed in December. I don't really know what to make of it. I sort of believe her situation. She was a human resources manager for 19 years for a very large employer who was bought by a larger company. The larger company closed the Birmingham office and Haroldine was forced into retirement.

Currently, Haroldine is working part time at the outlet mall--the only place where she has been able to find employment for the past six months--while frantically looking for additional employment. I am guessing there are also other forms of income from a retirement and Harold as well.

But, none of that really matters. Haroldine is not on the lease for the home Jack and I own. Harold purposely wanted it that way. At the time, Harold said Haroldine was not living with him, but would be visiting occasionally. Somehow this has transitioned into Haroldine being my contact and her feeling responsible for the rent.

Though I am no psychologist, I would venture a guess here: this is a fancier home than Harold owns (because he has a house that he supposedly rents out in a different neighborhood). Haroldine moved in and is living some sort of fantasy whereby the two of them will live happily ever after. Except Harold doesn't want to play. He is perfectly fine moving back home and saying the heck with playing house. He doesn't have to buy the cow. So to speak.

So, Haroldine has been scrambling every month to make this fantasy work out, in spite of the fact that she really is killing herself doing so. But, it seems at this point, her entire perspective of their relationship is based on where she lives. I wouldn't care so much about this, but the stress of the location of her rent payment is eats at my stomach lining every month.

When Jack and I discussed Haroldine last Thursday morning at #$%$& 7:14 a.m., I asked him what he wanted to do: ask her to politely leave, find someone to help her move or let this situation fester along a bit longer.

I was astonished when he really encouraged me to play along. According to Jack, homes just aren't renting. The economy is so bad in Birmingham nobody is moving. Of course, that was my experience with the Leeds home, but I thought that was just because it was, well, Leeds. But, according to Jack, this is going on everywhere.

When I talked with Haroldine last week, I asked her what was going on. Obviously, she doesn't read this blog because her first reaction was to break into tears. After I insisted she call me back, she actually came up with a solution, that made me pleased when her follow through this week resulted in a rent payment.

One of the reasons I am willing to work with Haroldine is that she does call me back. She does answer my texts. She plays along--though I am not sure how happy I am to be playing along too. Something has to give. I am hoping it will be the Birmingham economy. Because I am not sure how much more I can take of the Haroldine drama.