She Took Over My Apartment and Made Me Pay

Summary

I paid three thousand dollars for a live-in housekeeper to look after my cat and my apartment while I spent eighteen days traveling abroad.

The night I returned, I stood outside my own front door, dragging two heavy suitcases, and entered the passcode three times.

The keypad screen flashed red every single time: Access Denied.

I thought my brain had turned to mush after a fifteen-hour flight. I looked down and double-checked the memo on my phone.

It was correct.

0529.

That was the temporary passcode I had set for Brenda, the housekeeper, before I left the country.