I was on my way back to Michigan when I got the information that I no longer had a place to stay. I sent out a distress call, of sorts, and people responded. A friend of mine in Kansas City said I could stay with him and his grandmother, in exchange for some help with chores.
Some help with chores has turned into most of my time, and even being "loaned out" to other relatives WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME! A reasonable amount of work, I would not be averse to. I have been here 34 days. I have put in somewhere between 156 (her estimate) and 197 (my estimate) hours of work. The Missouri State Minimum Wage is $7.05 per hour. That's the minimum. Using her estimate and the minimum wage, that's $1,099.80 worth of work. For a bed, food (a snack, a light meal, and an average meal per day usually), and utilities including access to the internet.
She still says I'm not pulling my weight.
She says I make it "very hard" to like me.
And, she holds the spectre of eminent homelessness over me.... every... single... day...
It's not light work I'm doing, either... raking leaves, trimming hedges, scrubbing floors (by hand), moving furniture, climbing out on the roof to clean windows on the outside, and toting the full gallon jugs she uses to make wine just to name a few.
When I have attempted to stand up to her, she accuses me of outright lying about it. Who is my friend supposed to believe? His friend, who he only really has known well about a year, or his grandmother... who raised him when his mother was disabled and unable?
I need advice. I need somewhere to go that'll be fair. I need to be able to have time to LOOK for a damn job so I can have enough money to go to Australia later this year!
And yes, the Australia move is a MUST, as it's going to be my future. My lovely lovely girlfriend/fiancé is there waiting for me... every day that we're apart is agonizing.
What I'm looking for, is someone willing to let me use a basement or even a couch as a homebase while I earn money and get my passport and visa going, in exchange for a FAIR amount of work... if it's possible in any way!
The best answer would be something in the Kansas City area... as that's where I am now...
I'm just at the end of my rope and it feels like this old lady (86 years old) will kick the chair out from under me at any time.
I realize that I have a hard time standing up to her because of my grandmother issue/fear. I'm scared of old ladies. It's irrational, but it's very real.
