Finally, I see a crack of dawn, the early light that promises a new day is coming. The last three years have been agony on me as I lived daily in fear that my life was going to be ended.

Let me bring people up to speed, just so it doesn't appear that I am simply being melodramatic. A little over three years ago my Aunt Rosalie died. She was the woman who raised me from the time that I was three with brief interludes apart. But she was the only one in my life who had always been there for me. She left me an inheritance and that brought the vulture (a.k.a. my mom out). My mom stole from me, she stole 14k dollars out of my Aunt's bank accounts, all of my aunts jewelry, all of her furniture, her television, her computer, everything. She even went so far to tell the bank that I had vanished and was presumed dead in order to get the IRA my aunt left me in my name. So much for trusting her, and one of the reason I detests liars and this was my own mom.

Thankfully, I was able to get the bulk of my inheritance and buy a house (18k, cash offer, not bad) It's small, but it's home. Before I bought my house I was living in a homeless shelter at 470 dollars a month (for a small room that barely fit a twin size bed and a dresser, and not even my own bath). I knew my aunt would be pleased. Her one great concern was me not ever winding up on the street.

Fast forward to February 2012. I knew a couple through the ministry that I used to work for. They were "good, christian people", they were currently in Alabama, but wanted to move back to tampa. I had a spare bedroom and I needed work done to the house and Marcos (fuck it I'll use his real name, if you see him, run him over with a truck) Egana was a good handyman. He worked construction jobs. So I offered him and his wife my spare bedroom and offered to pay for the work done on my house (adding a privacy fence and putting in insulation, that kind of thing).

So, he was here barely 3 weeks and when I return home one night the police were there waiting for me. I had to wait outside for 5 hours until they got a search warrant and another 2 for the police to ransack my house. Evidently they told the police that I had purchased the house with money I got through illegal dealings (they knew about the inheritance, the police didn't).

A week later I was arrested on trumped up charges. The detective said that they had evidence of bigger things but learned that I was a flight risk and needed me to stay put. I don't know what Marcos and Tiffany told them, but I was assured they had evidence.

Now, I gave these people full reign of my house and all my possessions. Did they plant something in the back yard, did they plant something in my room, did they put something on my computer. All I was told was they had evidence. While I was arrested, in the one night in jail they raided my bank account for over 3000 dollars (they withdrew 1000 in cash and did buy and returns at Walmart and Home Depot). They also ran up my credit cards. I never got my money back from the atm card because Marcos claimed I gave him permission. (As if I'm going to give a person 1000 dollars to waste at the Hard Rock Casino). Yet another reason I detests liars.

But there was more. It seems Marcos wasn't who I thought he was. He was on the run on 3 different crimes in Alabama. He had stolen brass from an Army base in Alabama where he was working construction, he was writing bad checks, and, to my horror, he was being investigated for molesting his eight year old niece. Not to mention the litany of drug charges he already racked up. If I knew any of that I wouldn't have let him through the door.

He also tried to steal my house. He said that if the cops said they had something that I was surely going to jail and that I should sign over power of attorney on the house so he can rent it for me while I was in prison. Thank God I didn't do that. I kicked him and his wife out of my house.

But for the past three years, I've been waiting for the cops to show up and arrest me on this mysterious evidence they claimed to have. The detective would call me to let me know they had something and list the things Marcos took from police property claiming them to be his (play stations, electronics, tools, etc.).

So finally the statutes of limitations ran out yesterday. I no longer have to live in fear that I will have to defend myself for something I didn't do. I learned a long time ago that the law doesn't play fair and the more you claim your innocence the more they pile time against you into you cave. On the trumped up charges I took 6 months probation instead of face 5 years in state prison. They had no evidence, but had convenient lies that I didn't have alibis for (I threw papers for a living. I drove at night, alone, how can I have someone vouch for me at 4 in the morning.)

But, it's over. Finally. I am hoping to get what is left of my property back soon, but will go through the lawyer. The main thing is the deed to my home. I think I need that. The phones, computers, and even the playstation is now outdated. Such a shame. But maybe now I can relax, except that I am still on the lookout for liars, because they can really ruin your life.