Three days before Christmas of 2023, I signed for a certified legal letter with a threat to evict me unless I complied with certain conditions dictated by my son-in-law and daughter. They own this run-down casita that I have called home since 2021. I immediately replied to the threat by citing legal precedent and sending their attorney a copy of the checks that I contributed toward the purchase of this property. I assured their lawyer that I would contest any formal eviction myself in a court of law. Soon this esquire informed me that he no longer represented my family. At the time, I was 70 years old with no husband or income other than social security.

It should be noted that my only child was born out of conflict, not love. I fornicated with a cruel and creative man because I was homeless; I could not abort. The father of my child was pathological with money–a trait he passed on to his only child and so much more insidious than the beautiful blue eyes she inherited from him. My daughter insisted that if I did not vacate this casita voluntarily, that no landlord would ever rent to me again. Her attempt to play into my biggest fear–homelessness–was also a form of abuse perpetrated with malicious intent in my humble opinion.

During the pandemic, I contributed a large portion of my savings toward the purchase of this historic property in Silver City. An agreement was made in good faith–I would reside in the smallest dwelling place. However, when I finally set foot into that tiny space, I realized it would feel as if I were confined to a prison cell. I opted to spend the final chapter of my life in a three-room casita on this property built in 1877. Initially this was acceptable, but greed surfaced. A source of contention was my survival after my second heart surgery in 2021. My daughter asked me what I believe to have been an abusive question: “What if you live another 20 years?” I assured her that I didn’t have the money or desire to live into extreme old age. Unsatisfied, she persisted: “But what if you do?”

Despite having no criminal history, it was decided that I can no longer have contact with my only grandchild. I believe this is a form of punishment for not complying with their demands. The structures on this land are high maintenance, in constant need of repair. The resident handyman yelled, cursed and raised his hand at me in a threatening gesture. My family refused to evict or run a criminal background check on him. Eventually this angry man yelled at an 80-year-old Air B and B cleaner working on this property. Appalled and concerned for our safety, I then decided to file a complaint against Handy-Andy with the local police. Was my son-in-law's refusal to evict/background check this verbally abusive worker elder abuse? You decide.

My hope for the future is to live out the rest of my life without ever being homeless again.