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Thrifthaven Family Apartments
R. Alex Whitlock
They call this place the Thrifthaven University Apartments.
I can understand why college students would want to live here. The apartments are notably similar to dorms except cheaper and it's right across the street from the university. Very few college students live here and it's kind of hard to understand why.
We call this place the Thrifthaven Halfway House.
The landlord has some deal running with parole officers. Landis's, Strang's and Dundee's rent payments are being made by their PO's. The rent, as mentioned prior, is dirt cheap, and management keeps an eye on things so if they get too out of hand the POs will be notified, as happened with Dundee. A number of parolees and probationeers live here and it's not hard at all to understand why.
Lately, there's been a new subgroup moving in. This one defies any rational explanations.
Families.
Rocco has lived here for a little while. Now his three teenage kids live here, too. They share an apartment across the way from his. The lady next door to the students below me moved in with her son. A guy on the first floor that looks strikingly like Phil Collins lives here with his wife and, on weekends, his (or her?) three kids.
Now, next door to me lives a family of five.
Having never been in a first floor apartment, I cannot vouch for how big the rooms are down there. But I've been in Meatloaf's room - which the Cordova family now inhabits - and I can tell you that it's not more than 300 square feet, kitchen and closets included. And there are five people living there.
Back when I was living in the Bingham Barrios in Houston, I was used to seeing people stacked into quarters too small for their number. But nothing like this. I talked to Mrs. Cordova this evening and she's extraordinarily nice. I'm going to have to start watching my music volume. I hope they can watch their infant's volume, but I'm not holding my hopes up on that.
Regardless, the further illustrate the insanity of all this: These darling little kids are going to be living next door to Dundee. Dundee has a three-year restraining order regarding his son right now because of his outlandish behavior and is presently under probation for bothering the people below with their music.
This is going to be very interesting.
Observations
Alex,
As regards the families; perhaps some more demographic info is in order?
And as far as why more students don't live there, I couldn't hazard a clue. Possibly the number of parolees has something to do with it (small town, the University itself may be steering students away from your place lest they get caught up in parolee problems).
Not much corrolation ethnically speaking except that it's kind of a stew. Mr. Cordova is Hispanic and Mrs. is at least half-white, probably all so. The Phil Collins lookalike is white, though his girlfriend is Filipino. The woman downstairs with the kids is Hispanic and her son is a Hispanic/Asian ethnic hybrid. Rocco, his ex-wife, and the kids are all white.
Economically, none of them are particularly well off I'd guess, though both partners in every case (except Rocco, whose ex only stops by occasionally) work. Two people working minimum wage (with government generosity, of course) ought to be able to afford better than this...
As far as the college students go, my guess is that they see a bunch of old people hanging out here and move on to the next complex.
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