"JOSE, MARIA & TODDLER REBECCA"

Jose and Maria were a young homeless couple with a toddler girl named Rebecca. They had been homeless for a year, after they lost their jobs and their apartment due to the pandemic. They had tried to rent a new apartment, but they had no luck finding a place to stay. They had no money, no credit, no references. Their IDs had been stolen, so they had no documents to prove their identity. They had tried to report their stolen documents to the police but were turned away like they were less than human due to being homeless and their nationality.

Jose is 32 years old.

Maria is 35 years old.

Rebecca is two years old.

Jose has long dark brown hair, olive skin, dark brown eyes and stands 5'11".

Maria has long black hair, light olive skin, deep blue eyes and stands 5'2".

Rebecca has long light brown curly hair, dark olive skin, deep green eyes and stands 3' tall.

They are sad, homeless and scared, full of despair.

They had faced, rejection and verbal abuse by landlords, who turned them down because they were homeless. They would knock on the door of landlords, only to have the door slammed in their faces.

They were sleeping in a tent under the freeway exposed to the extreme heat and cold. The toddler was so sad, crying desperately for food. They were barely surviving on food stamps, donations, and soup kitchens. Their food stamps were due to run out at the end of December and with no IDs it would be impossible to apply for EBT. They were struggling in desperation to take care of their toddler, Rebecca, who needed diapers, clothes, shoes and toys. Every day they prayed for a miracle but were losing their faith, sinking into despair due to no one giving them a chance.

Both sets of their parents had perished in the forest fires in Northern California four years ago. Their parents and grandparents perished in the fires together. So, they were homeless, without family or relatives to help them.

One day while they were visiting the local library using the computer, they found an ad online for an affordable apartment in a decent neighborhood. Jose called the number on the ad. He spoke to a woman named Mary. She said she was the owner of the apartment complex, and she was looking for a tenant. She offered to show the place the next day at the Adobe Apartments address.

Jose and Maria were excited, and they both agreed to meet her. So, the next morning they packed their mere belongings and rode a bus to Adobe Apartments. When they arrived at the apartment building, they rang the gate buzzer, waiting for Mary to answer.

Mary answered on the intercom, "Hello, who is it?"

They both answered in unison, "Hi, we are Jose and Maria. We're here to see the apartment."

Mary replied, "Oh, yes, I've been expecting you. Come on in. I'm in apartment 101 by the pool."

They felt a surge of hope as they entered the complex through the front gate. They knocked on the door of apartment 101. Mary opened the door, "Welcome to The Adobe Apartments. I am Mary." She appeared to be in her sixties, with gray hair and pink framed glasses. She had a kind and gentle smile with hazel eyes that sparkled with every word she spoke.

Mary stepped out of her apartment 101 to walk with them to apartment 98 by the laundry mat. The apartment was small but cozy, with wooden floors and freshly painted beige walls. It had a small living room, a tiny kitchen, a small bathroom, and a rather large bedroom. It was furnished with a black leather sofa, a large screen HD TV, a dark mahogany coffee table with two matching end tables and a purple wooden rocking chair. The kitchen had a medium size fridge, an electric stove, a large microwave, and a small purple wooden dining table with two matching chairs and a matching highchair. The bedroom had a queen-size bed and a dark mahogany ten drawer tall dresser. Two matching dark mahogany bedside tables sat on each side of the queen size bed.

Mary told them she had a fold-up single bed for the child. There was a free tall standing mirror inside the large walk-in closet.

The apartment had central heat and air that was a tremendous upgrade from living in a tent trying to survive the extreme heat and cold of the harsh weather in the decade of climate change.

Jose and Maria were awe stricken and completely in disbelief that they found this apartment on December 24. They asked Mary how much the rent was, and she told them it was $500 a month with all bills paid. They asked her if there was a catch, and she told them no, there was none. Mary told them she was a widow, who had lost her husband a year ago on Christmas day because of leukemia. She told them she was lonely and sad. Mary told them they never had children due to health issues and did not want to adopt. Mary told them she wanted to rent the apartment to a young couple with small children. Mary said she loved children and would be overjoyed to help them with Rebecca and their life. Mary told them she was willing to sign a lease with them right away and give them the keys.

Jose and Maria felt like they had found a Christmas angel. They hugged Mary and agreed to take the apartment. They signed the year's lease and accepted the keys. Mary hugged them and kissed Rebecca on the cheek. Mary told them they could move in that very day.

Jose and Maria placed their mere belongings on the floor, sighed, sat down on the black leather sofa, hugging each other tight with Rebecca lying across their laps gurgling and laughing.

Mary said, "I will buy a Christmas tree and presents for both of you and Rebecca. I will also bring you sheets, pillows, and anything else you need to furnish your apartment. I will cook you Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. I will also hire Jose as a maintenance worker to help with important cleaning and maintenance work. My husband was the maintenance worker here before he became ill with leukemia."

They all agreed that Mary would be a surrogate Abuela for Rebecca.

This is a Christmas miracle story. All characters and events are fictional, not meant to reflect any true events or people.

WRITTEN BY

VICKI LAWANA TRUSSELLI

AN OLD SOUL OF THE UNIVERSE

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

There is still hope that more Christmas miracles happen to reflect this story beginning and ending. There are many homeless people in major cities across the globe. It is time to alleviate so much greed in the real estate world. We all need to help the homeless get a new start by creating more affordable housing, not to kick them to the curb as though they are not human.

BE IN THE LIGHT OF THE UNIVERSE.

Overcome the greed, selfishness, and division in the world.