My Guarded Secret

Percival — seeking stability

My name is Percival. And I have a secret.  Sure, I’ve been living on the streets for years, but that’s no secret.

Money is not my problem like it is for many homeless people.  I have passive income from rental properties, stocks, 401K, savings, and Social Security.

You see, I used to be a successful attorney.  In time, I grew malcontent with aspects of being a lawyer, so I became a computer programmer.

Just as I thought everything was just fine, my wife walked out on me and got a divorce. Since I had no idea that she was unhappy with our marriage, I was shocked beyond belief.

That brings me to my secret: I have not been right in the head since. Just knowing the law didn’t stop me from idly sitting by and letting my wife’s attorneys take my house, car, and all the furniture.

Because I still have multiple income streams, I can pay the rent for hotels.  I have not yet sorted out why I don’t buy another house, but for some reason, the idea remains a strong aversion.

So, I wander about with all my worldly goods in a shopping cart. No wonder most Lyft and Uber drivers don’t want to give me a ride.

Once drivers see me hauling around open bottles of suspect fluids, they lose all interest of letting me load up my stuff in their clean vehicle.

Even though I paid the rent as due for hotels, sooner or later, management asked me to leave. Because I know the law, I could file lawsuits and likely win when hotel managers don’t follow due procedure to boot me out.

But this fact doesn’t help me find a place to stay tonight. I have more immediate concerns than winning a lawsuit in a few years. So, why even file a suit in the first place?

I’m trying to understand why I work against my best interests by bragging about my substantial income only to unwittingly encourage gold diggers to either beg for money or try to con me out of cash.

I’d like to believe that medication could put me straight. But so far, it has not come close to making me normal again, and the dangerous side-effects are many.

So, I remain a drifter, aloof, talkative, and unstable.