Things were really starting to get to fall in line in our new environment. Aside from it being brutally cold sometimes, like in the negatives with a windchill that made it even worse, we were adjusting as best we could. We were able to catch the transit to a lot of places in town, they had a little gym and family recreation center where we went a few times for entertainment. We also figured out that the next town over which was Mankato had a mall, Walmart, target and a lot of things that ours did not have. The bus that took you there was a little different, but we got that figured out as well. Our small town had a dairy queen, McDonalds, a few grocery stores, dollar general which at the time was my favorite and a family dollar. It also had a few restaurants and other things and let's not forget the school system seemed really nice so far. Although it wasn't supper big, it was supper tiny either, it seemed like the perfect retirement town or family town if you had your own transportation to go to the bigger cities to do what you need to do then come back and settle down in a quiet area.
Since things were starting to look up I started the job searching process. I mean I knew at some point I wanted/needed to start working. It was always a part of the plan. However, since it was so cold and I didn't have my own transportation, I checked out the place closes to me, which was dairy queen, it was literally across the street from the shelter, a nice short walking distance, so after going over there a few times kind of checking out the scenery and meeting a few of the workers I started to ask if they possibly needed help or anything. Thankfully they did and they set me up to meet the manager, and interview and things like that. Even though it was fast food, and I had said I didn't want to do fast food again I was honestly excited, my first soon to be job in our new place. To me, something was much better than nothing and this was a good starting point.
Somewhere between setting up my job interview and daily life, we ended up getting sick. I think the first person sick was my daughter, if I'm not mistaken she was throwing up all over the place, didn't know why or what caused it, but she felt like crap, the next day my son had it, alone with her so they both were in and out the bathroom all through the day, and of course the next day or later that same night like any good bug, virus, or infection it spread on to me. I remember starting late in the night making my trips to the bathroom and it didn't get any better the next day. So, by now the littlest one is feeling better, the older one is slowing recovering and now I'm lying in bed weak and can't hardly move except to drag myself in and out the bathroom.
During the day that I'm still feeling like crap, I get an unexpected knock on the door. We ask who it is, and my son opens it for them. It's the shelter manager, and one of the case workers. I r invite them in, with a warning that we all have some kind of virus or bug, but they say they'd rather speak to me outside. I gather up enough strength to get up and go outside and close the door behind me. They are both looking so cold and serious, making me really nervous and wondering what's going on. One hand me an envelope with a letter inside of it and the other proceeds to explain why they are there. Turns out that my background check that i was required to fill out with the other paperwork had come back and it was showing me registered as a sex offender. Now mind you, before I moved from MS I did a great deal of research on a lot of different states. Each shelter I reached out to, to look for housing I informed them that I was required to do such. This was one of the reasons we ended up at this one, it was one of the very very few that did not automatically reject me for this reason. So I did not come on false pretense with the intent to hide this information, but she suddenly got amnesia and claims that I did not include that information only that I had an old charge on my record that it was over 10 years and she said it would be ok for me to still come since it had been so long. I don't know why she lied, if it was she honestly forgot or she had to pretend like I never told her that information to protect herself but for whatever reason, she did. I was given the name of a few other shelters in the area (only one that was close) and less that 24 hours to have all my things packed and leave. Originally, they told me I needed to be out the same day, later I had to email and ask them could we at least stay till morning to give us time to get everything packed up and to find a place, if not only a hotel room nearby.
So here I am, 30 days after moving to a new city, state, and temporary housing, my past has reared its nasty head again, and caused me so much pain. It is Feb 4, my babies and I are in a small town where we don't honestly know ANYONE, its heaps and heaps of snow, temps are in the negatives with a crazy windchill and after a few hours we don't have anywhere to go. I was crushed, hopeless, and helpless, and not to mention sick as a dog in the natural. I felt like I had once again let my children down and didn't know what to do for a while. I couldn't even cry like I wanted to because I had to go back in the room with them and act like everything was ok.
Wow!!! Lord have mercy!!!