The People Who Lived in the Room Beneath the Stairs

Living Your Life Purposefully — Episode #3

Charity begins at home — Occupant #3 — Part III

Occupant number three of the room beneath the stairs was a young woman named Gayna (name changed).

Gayna was actually an acquaintance of my mother’s. They came to know each other while in the military together.

She was the mother of a young son at the time, and I can recall much talk about there being a difficult relationship with her husband.

They were stationed at a base in the Amazon jungle together for a while during the early years.

When they eventually were transferred out to the mainland, my mother and Gayna retained a friendship.

While the women are on active duty, a trusted family member can uplift their monthly paycheck. In Gayna’s case, her husband was the recipient of the money.

When Gayna was home on military leave, there would be no monies for her to use and they ended up losing their home.

At one point the husband was holding her child hostage and would not allow her access to him.

Due to their contentious relationship, she also found herself with no place to stay.

I am unsure about the whereabouts of her biological family. I asked my mother, but she did not know the details of that relationship either, she just remembers Gayna needing help and offering to do so.

She had a brother, but he had a family of his own and perhaps he was unwilling or unable to help care for her.

With nowhere to go, my mother offered her a place to stay

And of course, she became a resident of “The room beneath the stairs.”

Gayna and her husband eventually divorced, and that was tough for her to handle. But when he took possession of their son, she really became…

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