Everything that happens on new year's day tends to leave a mark on our memories because it is the first day of the year. I have made lots of beautiful memories on new year's day. Memories as far back as my childhood remembrance would allow me. But the most memorable of this memory was when my parents moved us to our own house.
In 2012, we lived in a rented apartment. The house was a three-storey building and our apartment was on the second floor. The house was beautiful inside and outside, we truly love the place but the problem with the house was that as beautiful as it was, there was no water. Water was not running in any of the taps in the apartments as big as it was. The only way we could get water was to take the water through the stairs. This was difficult because we had to carry water and at the same time climb lots of stairs. I can't remember the exact number of stairs but it was a lot. To lighten our mood, my sister and I would count the number of stairs and compete with each other when fetching water, very funny😄.
In 2014, the landlord sent a message through the caretaker to every tenant that anyone who refuses to pay water charges should pack out of his house. You should have seen the way all the tenants were shouting at the caretaker in angry voices, nobody was paying for water not provided. When he realise that the voices were getting louder, he ran to save himself😂😂. I can't blame him, one of our neighbours has four hefty sons, they were so huge, you would think twice before approaching them.
My parents decided that instead of paying charges for water they are not using, they might as well complete our house. Lucky for us, the house had built the house halfway. Some money was borrowed from my mom's cooperative society and together with my parents savings the house was completed in December. Our rent expired in October 2014, but we didn't leave because there was a law that states that tenants can stay up to three months in a house for free if the landlord issues them an eviction letter to give them time to get another place.
January 1st 2015, we moved to our house. My siblings and I were extremely happy 💃💃, no more carrying water through hundreds of stairs (am sure the stairs were not up too hundred but still carrying water and climbing those stairs was not easy).
After we moved out, some of our old neighbours came and told us how they went to beg the landlord and eventually he agreed to allow them to continue living in the house. However, My parents had refused to beg because they felt cheated. I feel the same way, why should we pay for services we didn't use? Some landlords are terrible, they care only about their money and are not bothered about the lives of their tenants.
This day is the most memorable new year day in my life because I finally got rid of the stairs 😁😁