They Barely Knew Each Other
Even though Kevin Burns lived just a few feet away from Ruth, the two barely knew each other and he had never stepped a foot inside her house.
Ruth had no kids and had been living on her own for years: that was pretty much all Kevin knew about her. Never could have he imagined that they would soon become close friends.
She Lived In A Car
Eventually, Kevin realized that Ruth would always spend the night in her car instead of her house. Kevin kept asking himself why in the world anyone would ever choose to sleep in a car rather than a bed.
But Kevin soon noticed that it wasn't only at nighttime that Ruth would hang out in her car. Nobody had seen Ruth step a foot in her own house for at least two months, not even by day. What was going on?
A Helping Hand
Kevin didn't have a clue as to what the problem was, but logic suggested that something was off. He guessed that probably some repairs had to be done and maybe Ruth didn't have the money to cost them.
Feeling empathy towards the lonely old lady, one day Kevin decided to strike up a conversation with Ruth just as he passed by her car. He really wanted to help her in some way, but he would have to get to know her before getting to the bottom of it.
The Car Was A Mess
The first time Kevin approached Ruth, he could tell she felt embarrassed. At first, he couldn't understand why a woman her age owning a car and a beautiful house felt that embarrassed, but the truth soon dawned upon him.
To begin with, he noticed that the car was a total mess. The seats were brimmed with dirty clothes, used tissues, and take away bags, not to mention the fact that her everyday items were scrambled all over the place. Moments later, he realized something even more unsettling.
Ill-Repaired House
After having a quick chat with Ruth, Kevin inadvertently passed by her house and took a sneak peak through her living room window. That's when he noticed that the seemingly beautiful home was actually extremely deteriorated.
Even though the blinds were shut, the windows were coated with dirt and the walls were faded. On top of that, the grass in the front yard hadn't been cut for weeks. Kevin guessed that she just needed some help cleaning the place up, but the problem was infinitely larger.
Broken Windows
Right before heading back to his place, Kevin looked up towards the upper floor and suddenly froze. He realized that one of the windows was totally broken.
Kevin couldn't believe he had never noticed this before. He wondered how long the window had been broken and was intrigued to find out what had really happened. However, he uncovered the truth a few days later and the reason broke his heart.
Mystery Revealed
A few days later, Kevin was walking past her car when he realized that Ruth was sobbing. She was sorting through the plastic bags on her seat, and when Kevin asked her what was wrong, she let it all out.
Embarrassed by the truth, Ruth confessed that her house was absolutely deteriorated to the point that she didn't even dare step a foot inside. In fact, each day she would go the local gym to get cleaned up. But why was she sobbing?
Something Was Missing
The reason Ruth was under such stress was that as she counted her belongings, she realized that one of her most important objects was gone.
Kevin's first guess was that someone had broken into her car while she was still at the gym. However, with tears running down her face, Ruth said to him: "In the house. I left it in the house!".
It Was His Chance
At first, Kevin was baffled. Why couldn't she go inside the house to fetch one of her belongings on her own? But before Kevin opened his mouth, Ruth suggested: "Maybe you can go inside and get it!.
Kevin was well aware that the house would probably be a total mess, but he was curious to see it with his own eyes. He had been wondering how her house looked like from the inside for weeks, so this was his chance. But wait a moment... what was it that he needed to fetch?
An Overwhelming Stench
The object that Ruth desperately felt she needed was an old picture of her parents. As Kevin approached the porch, he noticed that there was a huge hole in the roof and the tiles were starting to fall off.
But the closer he got to the front door, the more obvious it became why Ruth had decided to spend all day trapped in her car. He could already sense an overwhelming stench as he reached for the doorknob. But what lay on the other side?
Piles Of Garbage
As Kevin opened the front door, piles of trash plummeted to the ground covering his feet. He soon realized that the door was the only thing blocking the garbage from spilling onto the front yard.
Kevin understood at once that the old woman's house was absolutely inhabitable. It was even hard to walk past the living room without balancing against the walls because of all the garbage. Ew!
A Tough Challenge
Kevin regretted having agreed to help her out, but it was too late to take it back. He had no idea how he would ever manage to find a photograph amid those piles of dump, but he gave it his best shot.
The living room was filthy enough, but things got worse when he entered the kitchen. There were piles of dirty dishes scattered next to the sink and some food filled with worms. Without a doubt, that was where the smell came from. Kevin held his breath as he went on with his mission.
Every Room Was Just As Filthy
While it was crystal clear that nobody had cleaned the house for months, Kevin couldn't help but wonder exactly how long it had been left under that condition. What struck him the most was that literally every room was equally filthy! But wait a moment... what about the photo?
To his disbelief, even Ruth's bedroom had dollops of trash and dirty clothes piled to the ceiling. Compared to that, living in the car sure sounded like the sanest and most hygienic option!
Boxes Of Paper
After overcoming the initial feeling of shock, Kevin set on in search of the picture. He descried a series of boxes with loads of papers inside one of the rooms, so he looked through the piles hoping to find it.
The boxes were brimmed with old magazines, papers of all sorts, and even receipts. There was so much dust flying through the air that he fetched himself a pair of gloves and a mask before carrying on with his search mission.
A Hint
At one point, he came across an old book — covered by a thick layer of dust like everything else in the house — that suggested he was getting closer to the picture he was looking for.
The book was lying inside a box full of old memories and sentimental objects, including diplomas, medals, and — guess what? — pictures! Also, the box was way less dustier than the rest, making him feel that if he dug deep enough, he would probably unearth the picture.
He Found It!
Luckily for him, Kevin finally found the picture inside that box of memories, and surprisingly, it was one of the very few objects that appeared to be well-preserved and even clean.
Having fulfilled his task, Kevin wanted to sneak out as quickly as possible, but would he manage to go all the way out without tripping over the trash and getting his clothes all dirty?
A Strange, Decrepit Object
As Kevin headed to the front door, he came across a very unusual object. On his way out, he saw this rickety worn out bookshelf. The reason it caught his attention in the first place was that it was empty, which was odd considering there was trash literally everywhere.
Driven by his curiosity, he walked all the way to the bookshelf, which was lying against the wall on the opposite side of the room. However, as he got nearer, he saw something he never expected.
A Surprising Discovery
Kevin realized that there was a vast hole in the wall right behind the bookshelf. Feeling intrigued, he pushed away the shelves, stared through the hole, and froze.
It appeared to be that the hole served as some sort of secret passageway to an adjacent room, but why was this secret spot hidden behind a bookshelf and sealed with concrete?
Break On Through To The Other Side
Kevin crawled though the hole, dying to see what was on the other side. The narrow passageway was covered with spider webs which kept meddling into his face.
After crawling for a few feet, he finally made it to the other side and was astonished by what he found. The room where he was now standing at was totally different from any other room he had seen so far. But what was so special about it?
The Hidden Chamber
By some sort of miracle, this hidden chamber-like room was in perfect condition. It was clean, its lights were dim, and its dark-colored walls were covered by all sorts of photographs.
Kevin was actually a bit freaked out since the room looked like some sort of sanctuary. While he didn't know what it really was, it was clear that it had been of uttermost importance and great sentimental value to Ruth. What else did this room hide?
The Only Clean Spot
Apart from the photographs, the room was also filled with clothes and toys, but unlike the rest of the house, none of these objects were covered by dirt, dust, or food stains.
However, paradoxically, this hidden room was also the one that smelled the worst. That came as a shock to him at first, as the room seemed perfectly clean, but it wasn't long before he discovered the reason behind the hideous smell.
A Health Threat
In a corner of the room, Kevin spotted a giant layer of black mold staining the ceiling. FYI, mold is considered to pose a serious risk to humans, as it can be deadly if found in great amounts.
The walls were so humid that its paint was falling off. Kevin immediately understood that living in the house would be a risk unless those thick layers of mold were scraped off. What did he do next?
She Had No Idea
Kevin realized that he had to leave the room as quickly as possible. He told Ruth how dangerous walking inside the house was. "I had no idea it had gotten so bad", she replied.
Still, Kevin wanted to help, so he bought an adequate respiratory mask with an air-filtering device and went back to the secret room to try and scrape off the mold. However, it wasn't long before it dawned on him that the task required the help of a team of specialists.
The House Had To Be Demolished
A specialist came to check on the house the following day and that's when Kevin and Ruth learned that the problem was way more serious than what they had imagined.
According to the specialist, the only way out was to tear the house down. The layers of mold were the "worst they had ever seen" and cleaning it would be too risky for the workers involved. What was the next step, then?
Carrying Out The Trash
Before being demolished, at least half of the objects would have to be removed, and this was definitely easier said than done! Unfortunately for Ruth, very few objects were able to be saved, as everything that had been close to the mold needed to be burned.
With the help of a team of firemen and a few neighbors who volunteered, most of Ruth's belongings were moved to the yard, where they were then packed and carried away by a truck. Now came the final step: burning the house down!
A Moving Moment
Obviously, the fire department was in charge of the last step. They inspected the house one last time before the demolition. In that process, they managed to rescue a few more objects, mainly some boxes filled with photographs that Ruth had been hoping to preserve.
As tough and moving as it was for Ruth, she was ready to move on and leave her old house behind. She was thankful for the firemen's hard work and was ready for them to carry on with their job.
She Couldn't Hold In Her Tears
Even though she was ready to move on, she broke into tears when the burning of the house began. Luckily for Ruth, she had managed to pack inside her car everything she needed to survive for the next couple of weeks.
Even though it was hard for her, getting rid of so many tons of trash actually helped her get a weight off her shoulders. As the flames consumed the deteriorated house, Ruth said a few words that left everyone shook.
Painful Memories
As Ruth saw how so many memories suddenly turned into ashes, she said: "That room was where my husband passed away. I didn't have the heart to go in there after he was gone".
Maybe, those memories she so much treasured had been one of the main reasons why she had had such a hard time letting go of all those objects and why she hadn't demolished the house earlier. However, one question remained unanswered: where would Ruth live now?
Finding Ruth A Home
It was obvious that she couldn't just live inside her car forever, but fortunately, her latest friend, Kevin, helped her out. He gave her a hand in finding a new home, and this is the plan he came up with.
Kevin suggested that the most desirable option was for Ruth to be placed in a community center for senior citizens. But did Kevin's plan work out?
It Worked Out For The Best
Ruth is currently living in the senior community, where she was warmly welcomed by both the staff and the other elders. While she still hasn't got over her husband's death and the destruction of her house, she enjoys making new friends and spending her days in great company.
Without a doubt, Ruth's quality of life improved sharply. She now sleeps in a proper bed, she no longer eats fast food all the time, and most importantly, she still keeps in touch with her new friend, Kevin! I guess everything worked out for the best, right?