FOR THREE YEARS, MY LANDLORD NEVER DEPOSITED A SINGLE RENT CHECK I WROTE—WHEN I FINALLY ASKED HIM WHY, HE PLACED A SHOEBOX IN MY HANDS

PART 1: THE APARTMENT THAT GAVE US A SECOND CHANCE

When my marriage fell apart, I was thirty-one years old with a four-year-old daughter, $1,100 in my bank account, and a car that only started if I turned the key twice.

That was everything I had left.

My daughter, Trixie, was far too young to understand why her father had walked away or why we were packing continue reading …