I’m the maintenance guy everyone in this fancy gated community pretends not to see. Most days, I sweep their sidewalks, sleep in a storage room, and listen to rumors about what a “dangerous” man I am—until one cold morning, the routine cracked wide open.I’m Harold, 56M. I’m the maintenance/janitor guy in a gated community called Ridgeview Estates.
I also live there. Not in a house. In a storage room behind the maintenance office.Metal door. One cot. A hot plate I’m not supposed to have. Mop buckets on one side, my boots on the other. If I stretch out my arms, I can almost touch both walls.It’s not where I thought I’d end up at 56.I used to have a small house. A wife who snored when she was extra tired, and a daughter who insisted on wearing glitter shoes with everything.