Her parents loathed him and believed their daughter could have done so much better. She always dated upstanding and sophisticated men; they were highly educated, held prominent positions in various fields and were financially sound; they were the crème de la crème.
So why would she have settled for someone like Ted?
The fact that he had property meant nothing, because based on the stories they heard, her parents started to wonder how someone who never held down a steady job or had a pot to make coffee in was able to get an apartment building worth six figures.
Nevertheless, she made it clear to her parents that she was head-over-heels in love with him, and they would have to accept it, or she would be out of their lives for good.
At the end, her parents did back down, but they never accepted him or his sisters into the family; they just tolerated them for the benefit of their daughter. Yet, deep in their hearts, her parents and everyone else in the community knew the marriage was a disaster right from the start. Unfortunately, it would take Marsha five years to come to this realization.
Three years prior to meeting Marsha, Ted had elaborate ideas for the property he obtained, which was located in an industrial area. His first plan of action was to send out notices to all the tenants, informing them that the building was now under new ownership, and whatever agreement they had with the previous owner was no longer binding.
He then increased the rent by twenty-five percent, which was payable to Ted and Associates; the associates were his sisters. All occupants were on a month-to-month lease, and rent was due on the first of the month with a ten-day grace period. If a tenant did not pay his or her rent within ten days, he would evict that person.
Since he wanted three of those apartments, one for himself and two for his sisters, those renters received removal notices and had thirty days to leave.
The building was in superb condition and well maintained. The lobby had marble tiled floorings and stucco walls. The ceiling, with its beautiful handcrafted and intricate patterns, stood 12 feet high. There was a courtyard where residents could entertain or have cookouts. The finished basement was a laundry room, which had six washers and four dryers.
His apartment had three large bedrooms, one full bathroom, and a spacious living room with parquet floors, a large kitchen with modern appliances, and an open dining area.
His sisters had their own one bedroom apartment with similar details. If either of his sisters ever required more space, he would just send kicking out letters. He had assigned his sisters to keep the books for the property, collect rents, deposit checks, and pay all the bills and taxes.