Still don't own anything. The places mentioned do all exist according to Google Maps.
HOME WORK - LIVING IN MIAMI
"Chika, this plan is great. Nothing like Home Economics in our day." Hector says while sitting by the pool in a lounger. "I really hope I'm invited to the party, I love the back yard." He should love the back yard, we designed it together.
When I first moved to Miami, I thought I'd rent an apartment or house by the beach, I love the beach, I love running on the beach. I love playing on the beach. I also soon realized that any type of property by the beach did not come cheap, no, not cheap at all. I'd have to widen my search. One morning I sat at my favorite café reading the paper when this man came up. He startled me at first. Gorgeous muscular body, long black hair and tattoos all over. He promptly sat down and introduced him self with a smile. "Hi, I'm Hector. I've been watching you run on the beach." Oh, creepy. "Don't worry, I won't hurt or harm you. Would you like company?" Ok, still a bit creepy. " I run a fiver every morning, it would be nice to have someone new to the area to run with. We could explore together." How did he know I was new to the area? "Chika, your skin tone says you've not been here that long." He reads my mind? "No, I don't read your mind you've just got such an open and expressive face it shows what you think. So what do you say? Come with me tomorrow?" And I did. For a few weeks we met every morning at South Point Park Pier, ran the fiver and stopped at 3rd Street Beach Yoga. From there it was only a stones throw to where I was staying, the SoBe Hostel and Bar.
The hostel was owned by Celia and Enrique, a sister and brother of Cuban heritage. They were third generation Cuban-Americans who had stayed in Miami with their grandmother Rosa when their parents moved north for better job opportunities. Mama Maria was a ER nurse and Papa Ricardo an architect. Celia and Enrique were a very outgoing and social pair, there was never a dull moment when they talked about their siblings, extended family and childhood. In addition to the eldest twins Celia and Enrique there was Marco the chef, Alina the lawyer, Lucia the doctor and the baby, Carlos, career soldier turned security specialist.
The SoBe hostel had one small apartment with a bedroom, lounge area and kitchenette, a walk in wardrobe and private bathroom, it was usually reserved for family when they visited. That's were I stayed. The rent was affordable but I needed to find something more permanent. "I hate to throw you out Mickie, but mama and papa are coming for a visit in three weeks. Do you think you could find something in that time or do you want to stay in one of the dorm rooms? We'll also keep our ears and eyes open if we hear of something." Now I really had to start looking. I did not want to stay in a room with six or seven giggling girls in their late teens coming down to Miami to party. Yes, even I did party and go clubbing but I also had a job. Well a few jobs actually. I did some temp teaching, tended bar at the SoBe and did fraud investigation for an insurance company. It paid well to be nosy. Together with my divorce settlement and my savings I had a pretty good nest egg.
So, I started looking. Browsing real estate sites on the net, reading different papers with classified ads, billboards on the beach and even leaving 'For rent wanted' posters in shops and cafés. My deadline for vacating the apartment was fast approaching when I hit gold. A single family home with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, eat in kitchen and separate dining room, lounge and den and a two car garage. With its own little jetty with a springboard and a large garden with full size pool. Could I be this lucky? I took Hector and Celia with me to check the place out. I was not the only one interested, the open house had gathered a good crowd. The house was located on the first of the Sunset Islands. Only about four miles from SoBe. It was a corner lot, if you can call the farthest point of the island a corner with mature trees and shrubbery hiding the neighbors.
"Hector, move in with me, please." I wanted it bad. "Please, please, please."
"Chika, you know I don't swing your way and you might find my 'company' disturbing."
"Oh, Hector, please, your 'company' are all a big bunch of teddy bears. Teddy bears with scary tattoos and loud motorbikes but teddy bears all the same. Or do you mean the 'disturbing' pink haired hair stylist or the plus sized professional shopper? Hector, I love your friends and I'm really glad you've included me. So, please, move in with me."
That's how Hector and I became home owners. The house was a horse shoe shape with the kitchen, dining room and lounge in the middle and the bedrooms in separate ends. The garage was detached with a home gym and garden shed. The big back yard meant we needed to do gardening. The previous owners had put the house up as a bail bond and lost it before the landscaping was finished. We had a blank canvas. And I knew squat about plants, fertilizers and perennials but over the years with Hectors massive amount of patience and help from his partner Felix we have a beautiful home and garden. There was even a feature article in Daves' Garden Weekly a few months back. Valerie called and said she'd chatted with Jessica Capshaw one day on set about it and Jessica said that she loves Daves' Garden Weekly. She too loved the my garden, yay!
"Of course you're invited, you live here too. And besides, we can even speak spanish the whole day so it's like you'll be teaching too."