Sure they do.
Here’s the twist, though.
Remember the rental listing I posted? I found the perfect tenants, a young couple, Thomas and Emily, both nurses at the local hospital. Stable income, excellent references, and they loved the separate entrance for their shift work.
They signed a one-year lease at $800 per month, which covers nearly half my mortgage.
I posted a photo on Instagram of me handing over the keys to them, captioning it, “Turning a negative into a positive. Welcome to your new home, Thomas and Emily.”
Petty may be satisfying. Absolutely.
Michael saw it, of course. According to my cousin, who still follows him, he went on a rant about me profiting off family misfortune.
Several people pointed out that it was my property to do with as I pleased and that he tried to steal it. He blocked them all.
But the absolute best part happened yesterday.
I got a call from Brandon, Michael’s friend who he’d been texting about his brilliant plan.
Brandon wanted to apologize.
Apparently, Michael had tried to pull the same scam on him last week, showed up for a few days, started receiving mail, talked about his rights.
Brandon, having seen what happened with me, immediately kicked him out and threatened to call the cops.
“I thought he was joking when he told me about his plan with you,” Brandon said. “I realize now he’s seriously disturbed. Thanks for standing up to him. You probably saved a lot of people from getting scammed.”
As of today, Michael is still at our parents house. He’s reportedly applied to a few jobs, but keeps finding reasons why they’re not the right fit.
Mom and dad’s 30-day deadline is approaching, but I’m not holding my breath. They’ve made similar ultimatums before.
What’s different this time is that Michael’s running out of options.
The family knows his game. His friends are wary. He’s gained a reputation as someone to avoid.
The free ride is ending, not because he’s changed, but because people are finally comparing notes and protecting themselves.
Final update. 2 months later.
I wasn’t going to update again, but what happened over the last month needs to be shared. It’s a perfect example of how enabling parents and a manipulative adult child finally reached their breaking point.
Michael’s 30-day deadline at our parents house came and went without him leaving.
Shocking, I know, but what happened next was something I didn’t see coming.
3 weeks ago, I got a call from dad at 11 p.m. His voice was different. Tired, defeated, but also somehow resolved.
“James, I need your help. Not for Michael, for your mother and me.”
It turned out that Michael had escalated his behavior at their house.
He’d stolen checks for mom’s purse and forged one for $1 and $200. When confronted, he claimed it was an advance on his inheritance and that they owed him for a lifetime of emotional trauma.
He’d also been selling items from their house on Facebook Marketplace. Dad’s tools, mom’s jewelry, anything not nailed down.
But the final straw was when they caught him trying to add himself to their bank account online.
He’d used their personal information to call the bank pretending to be dad, attempting to add himself as an authorized user. The bank’s fraud department caught it and called dad directly.
“We want him out,” Dad said. “But we’re scared. He’s become aggressive, threatening. Your mother hasn’t slept in days.”
I told them to pack a bag and come to my house immediately. They could stay in the newly rented basement. My tenants had just given notice due to a job relocation. Perfect timing.