For years, I thought Mrs. Madison, my elderly neighbor, came and went from her house like clockwork, just like me. At least, that’s what I told myself until one freezing night at 2:30 a.m., when I came home and saw her asleep in her car.
At first, I figured she’d locked herself out. But the longer I stared, the more unsettling details came into focus. Mrs. Madison wasn’t just sitting in her old, beat-up Ford, she was living there.
An old woman sleeping in her car | Source: Midjourney
The backseat was packed with neat boxes filled with groceries and other essentials.
I couldn’t ignore it. Something was very, very wrong.
I rushed inside and shook my wife, Lydia, awake.
“Honey, Mrs. Madison’s been sleeping in her car. I think she’s been living there for a while. We need to bring her inside. It’s freezing,” I said, already feeling guilty I hadn’t noticed sooner.
Boxes in the back seat of a car | Source: Midjourney
Lydia sat up, shocked.
“She’s in her car? At her age? David, we have to help her!”
I nodded.
“Get the guest room ready. I’ll bring her in!”
When I went back outside, I knocked gently on her window. Mrs. Madison stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She looked startled at first, so I smiled to calm her down.
A shocked woman in her bed | Source: Midjourney
“It’s me, David,” I said. “From next door. It’s too cold to be out here. Why don’t you come inside? Lydia’s made hot chocolate, and we’ve set up a warm bed for you.”
She tried to wave me off.
“Oh, I’m fine, dear. No need to fuss.”
But I shook my head.
“Please, I won’t leave until you come with me. It’s freezing, and you shouldn’t be out here.”
An old woman sitting in her car | Source: Midjourney
After a moment, she gave in. I helped her inside, wrapping her in her comforter. Lydia was waiting for us with a mug of hot chocolate. As Mrs. Madison took her first sip, tears welled up in her eyes.
“I used to make hot chocolate just like this for my Charlie when he worked nights,” she said.
“Why have you been sleeping in your car?” I asked. “You have a house, don’t you? The one next door?”
She sighed deeply.
A mug of hot chocolate | Source: Midjourney
“After Charlie died, the house felt haunted. Everywhere I looked, I saw him. I’d open a drawer, and it smelled like him. I couldn’t take it.”
She paused, wiping her eyes.
“One night, I took my comforter and slept in the car. It was the first night I felt any peace. After that, I stopped going inside altogether. It’s been about two years now.”
“But how have you managed all this time?” Lydia asked.
An upset old woman | Source: Midjourney
“I go to the senior gym,” she said softly. “I shower there and use the facilities. It’s not much, but I get by.”
“Why not sell the house?” I asked. “You could move somewhere new… make a fresh start.”
“The house is such a mess, David. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I told her. “Tomorrow, I’ll take a look. And if you let me, I’ll help get it cleaned.”
A messy house | Source: Midjourney
The next day, I went to the house, and I could barely believe my eyes. Dust covered every surface, and the walls were lined with black mold.
I went back in a few days later, armed with protective gear. My friend, Rodney, came with me. He took samples to send to the lab.
“If this mold is toxic, the house might not be salvageable.”
Three days later, the lab results came back. It was a dangerous strain of Stachybotrys mold, and the only way to prevent it from spreading was to burn the house down.
A house in flames | Source: Midjourney
When I told Mrs. Madison, she nodded quietly, though tears filled her eyes. She stood with Lydia and me as the fire department set a controlled blaze that reduced the house to ashes.
“You have a place with us, Mrs. Madison,” I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “For as long as you need.”
She smiled through her tears.
“Thank you, David,” she whispered. “You’ve changed my life, son.”
