TWIN FALLS • Not many people stopped to check out the mini yard
sale in the apartment parking lot at Second Avenue North and
Fairfield Street on Dec. 14.

The miscellany didn’t look like much from the street. A used
pair of loafers, gardening equipment, well-loved board games and
gift bags were all laid out on the pavement.

The cardboard sign off to the side attracted more attention than
the sale. Fundraiser for Christmas for two little girls, it
read.

Chris Bott, the father of those two girls, stood behind the
merchandise, chatting with anyone who stopped by. He was behind
about $800 on bills and worried that he and his family would get
evicted if they couldn’t pony up rent money.

As he talked, 18-month-old Kassiah and 4-year-old Johanna played
in the back of the family’s green Subaru. Oblivious to their
family’s money troubles, the girls clung to their stuffed animals
and cheerfully waved at those who picked through the sale
items.

Chris, who was fired from his job as a mechanic earlier this
year, had recently qualified for unemployment and was waiting for
his first payment. He has tried to find work, he said, but with a
back injury his options are limited.

As they waited for unemployment money, the family sold items in
an attempt to catch up on bills and give their daughters a humble
Christmas — and avoid losing their living space.

• • •

Chris, 30, and his wife, Liz, 22, moved to TwinFalls about a
year ago. This isn’t the first time the Botts have run into
financial trouble. When they lived in Utah, the family sold off
some of their other possessions, including a huge dinette set.
After Chris hurt his back and couldn’t do mechanic work anymore, he
sold off his tools — nearly $10,000 worth for about $500.

Chris regrets that now, he said. He should have held onto them
in hopes of his back improving, or at least of selling the tools
for a better price.

But realistically, he knows his days fixing cars are over. He
hurt his lower back several months ago and can no longer bend over
to work on engines for hours at a time. The most he can do is short
bursts of easy maintenance on his Subaru, and even that hurts.

Chris knows he needs to find a desk job, but all he’s ever done
is manual labor. He’s put in applications at stores and online, he
said, but hasn’t heard back from anyone.

As a teenager, Chris got in trouble — stuff like stealing from
his grandmother and racing cars, he said — but doesn’t have
felonies that would prevent him from getting a job.

The family could go back to Utah, but the couple isn’t on good
terms with Liz’s family, and Chris wants to stay away from friends
who may be bad influences. Chris’ brother recently moved from
Kimberly to Lewiston, and they have no other family in Magic
Valley.

• • •

On the morning of Dec. 16, the Botts sat in their warm,
cluttered living room, getting ready to go outside for another day
of selling off their possessions. Liz helped Johanna practice
spelling her name with letter magnets, and Kassiah played with an
empty pot, pretending she was stirring soup. Piles of their
belongings lay nearby — it was messier than usual, Chris said,
because the night before, they had scoured the house looking for
more items to sell.

The family hadn’t been able to pay their electricity bill, but
Chris said the company wouldn’t turn off their power until at least
February. Still, the heater in the apartment doesn’t work, Chris
said, so he turned on the oven and used it to heat the house.

As the girls played, Chris talked more about his money woes. The
yard sale’s first three days had raised less than $100, he
said.

If the unemployment benefits arrived that day, Chris reasoned,
he could register the car, then pay at least half of his
outstanding rent. That wouldn’t leave much money for food, gas,
medication or Christmas presents, but it would ensure his girls a
place to sleep and would tide them over until the next benefits
came the following week.

If he didn’t get the unemployment check in time?Chris was
worried the family would be evicted. Without family in the area, a
registered, street-legal car or money for gas, they’d probably be
sleeping in the Subaru for Christmas.

“We’re pretty much out of options,”Chris said.

In the meantime, they played holiday music on the family
computer and enjoyed the Christmas tree a neighbor had lent
them.

• • •

By Tuesday night, the Botts still hadn’t received those first
unemployment benefits. Chris had spent his weekend hanging around
the house, looking for work online and hoping the landlord wouldn’t
show up. At one point, someone knocked on the door, but he didn’t
answer.

Chris spent Tuesday helping his brother move a truck to
Lewiston, while Liz stayed in Twin Falls with the girls. In the
parking lot, the items for sale were still on the ground, though it
had been dark for an hour.

Liz took a short break from making dinner to chat warily through
her cracked door. The landlord hadn’t come by, and she was hopeful
that he would stay away before the unemployment money came.

With the money they raised from the sale, they had managed to
buy diapers and a couple of princess dolls from a dollar store.

As Liz talked, Johanna slipped out the door and started dancing
in the hallway. Liz kept her from making too much noise.

“You gotta be good for Santa to come,”she said.

Tags: Apartment for Sale, Buy Home Today

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