The day my rent doubled and my cousin disappeared

Last year, life was just one long hustle. I was jumping between freelance gigs, my savings were a joke, and then my landlord dropped the bomb. He called me one Saturday morning, all smiles, and said, "Chi-Chi, the rent is now double. You have two weeks."

No warning. No discussion. Just, bang.

I was still processing when my cousin, who I'd been carrying financially since she lost her job, called. She said, "Sis, don't worry, I'll send you something by Friday." I believed her. She was my blood.

Friday came. My phone was silent. I called her. No answer. Then she texted: "I'm sorry, I can't help. Things are hard."

I sat on my bed and just laughed. Not because it was funny, but because what else could I do? I had two weeks to find money I didn't have, and the one person I thought I could count on had vanished.

Long story short, I patched it together. Borrowed from friends, took extra gigs, sold some things. It was ugly, but I survived.

That experience changed me. It taught me that your security is your own responsibility. Not your cousin's. Not your friend's. Yours. Now, I save first, even if it's small. And I trust people, but I don't depend on them.

God when? But we move. 💪