LIFE WITH KRISTYEMAC

I quietly sit on this old porch and remember "what was". My mother had just passed away with cancer in her home here in Little River. I had spent the previous 3 months with her at the hospital in Wilmington, giving up my job, a failing relationship and clean clothes to be at her side and make sure that she had what was needed while there. We had to get a lawyer involved to get her home where she wanted to be.

Once I had her settled in and with a caretaker to be with her while I took care of her money matters, food shopping, and calls to relatives I went "home" to check on my house in Little River and get cleaned up and rested up. I was driving her beat up big ol' Lincoln and was going to get help to take it back to her as my car was supposed to be in my driveway.

The Lincoln was way too big for Mother in her later years. She hit many a ditch backing out of driveways and a few other cars...lol. My boys used to run out to the end of our driveway any time she was leaving our house to see her (usually) hit the ditch.

On arriving at my house the first thing I notice is my car is gone. OK...so my insignificant other must be using it. I go into the house and stand there looking at missing furniture and a big mess. After further inspection it seems that while I was away with my mother he had come back and taken what he assumed was "his". Oh, well...c'est la vie...and good riddance. At least I had Mother's car.

My bank account was down to about $200 and I didn't have a job. What the heck was I going to do? I sat on this little screened in porch for the next couple of days and contemplated my dilemma.

Mother passed and I still had no plans. I sat on this porch and started making phone calls to hopefully find a job. I still had her old car and went out and about putting in job applications.

After a few days of local searching I called a girl I had worked with in Florence SC who handled the office for one of the larger mobile home dealerships . Telling her my plight I hoped she could give me a reference for one of the dealers in Conway. She told me to hold tight...she'd get back to me.

I sat on this peaceful porch for 2 days and she finally called. Gave me the deal of a lifetime, even though it sounded kinda sketchy. The mobile home sales industry was in trouble due to massive foreclosures on homes that sales personnel had doctored buyers credit applications. She explained that she could make me a foreclosure agent and if I could get a loan from my bank I could join the forces of many chasing bank auctions. I had about $125 left and gas had to be put in the old Lincoln. The deal went down like this....each morning we would receive a list of foreclosures in our area being auctioned off to agents that day. I found myself in the driveway of about 8 different mobile homes located from Myrtle Beach to Little River... bidding on the phone with 6 to 8 other agents in their cars. Finally won the bid on one in Creekside Mobile Home Park for $4000. Yippee! 2 days later I had the title. Sold it in one day for $18000. Bigger Yippee! Within 2 more days I

had bought 2 more houses and resold them. Bought me an old car and just in time...because Mother had left her Lincoln to my brother and he was coming to pick it up as he had it sold.

After a couple of weeks I got smart and started buying 2 at the time...keeping one for myself to rent out... and selling the second one. Within a few months I had 18 mobile homes paid for in my name, half were rented out already and I was spending my other profits to fix up the ones that needed a little work. The rest is history!

I spent many years living in this house and sitting every evening on this little porch...pondering on "what was" and "what is now". It took a lot of hard work. I loved this house and this little porch.

Eventually I bought a foreclosed house in North Myrtle Beach which is still my home. Getting older and now retired I've been selling off my mobile homes and now this house whose little porch saved my sanity and gave me a living for my future. Until it sells I'm sitting on it's old porch after working to get if up to snuff for a sale. I still find it peaceful as I look over the mess that was made by previous tenants and looks better every day.

I give thanks to "what was" and look forward to reflecting on my past and future on the porch of the little cottage I was able to purchase in my happy place, Eleuthera. And, NO, I am NOT moving away. Just looking forward to sitting on this new little porch as often as possible and look forward to what is to come. I'll miss that old screened in porch.