My new roommate

After we had completed our first road trip together (but not that PowerBar), Kelz and I didn't really discuss what was going to happen next. I knew that I could not just let her live on the street when she was pregnant. I was afraid that she would start doing the heroin again after she'd been clean for a whole week. Even though I was not the father, I felt so responsible for what happened to her. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something terrible happened to the baby because I knew I could have stopped that from happening by just showing her a little kindness.

I told her she could go ahead and stay with me as long as she needed. I would be able to provide her with food and any other necessities that she needed to ensure that she had a healthy baby, to the best of my financial abilities. However, I explained that I preferred that she not have people visit the apartment when I wasn't there, including the baby's father. She didn't say yes or no, nor did she express any gratitude. I just assumed she was really tired from the trip and wanted to go to sleep for awhile.

I also told her that when I left for work in the morning, I would need to lock the deadbolt on the front door. It had one of those locks that needed a key on both sides to lock and unlock. I didn't think this was going to be a problem because I expected her to just sleep the whole time I was at work. And really, she was able to leave the apartment. My main concern was the possibility for people to come in.

The first day I came back from work, I found the front window wide open and the screen in the bushes. I opened the door. Kelz wasn't there, but she left this note behind:

Wait? 9:30am? That means my window had been like this for almost four hours! And there was always someone who could pick up the phone at work! I have a feeling she didn't even try! Fortunately, nothing was missing from the apartment. I closed the window and put the screen back. Kelz came back later that evening. She asked if she could stay. I told her she could and reiterated that I lock the deadbolt to keep people out. If she's going to leave through the window, I needed her to close the window as much as she could and try to put the screen back. She said she would do that.

The next day, I came home, found the screen in the bushes and the window open again. But this time, she didn't leave a note. Again, she came back that night and wanted to sleep there. I told her she could. She didn't explain where she'd gone to, but she never mentioned her uncle's health problems again.

The next morning, I came to the realization that I needed to stop Kelz from feeling like a prisoner in a place that she used to consider home. Also, I'd had enough of my apartment looking like it was easy pickings for daytime prowlers, so I decided not to lock the deadbolt before leaving for work. I didn't know what to expect when I returned.

When I came home that day, she was still in the apartment, waiting for me to arrive. And so, she stayed.