As Charles Dickens penned a long time ago, “it was the worst of times; it was the best of times.”

Lest anyone perceive that we think (or thought) we are superior, we obviously are not. Nope! We were not happy campers — merely making the best of a bad situation by preventing being further taken advantage of.

As hard as we tried, it was still one of the most awkward and infuriating times of our lives.

Without giving anyone any notice, they decided solely on their own to stay in what was legally and lawfully now our house. To say they were indignant was the proverbial understatement.

Sincere supplication to aid us in biting our tongues during that horrendous week was non-stop. Striving to be humble and yet refusing to be bullied — which, of course, we were — made us the recipients of hateful glares. Constant scrutiny under their watchful eyes was uncomfortable, but we knew we were in the right; so, we firmly stood our ground. Truth does set us free.

Still livid after ultimately accepting that it was now, indeed, our home they understood they had no rights as literal squatters.

All these many years later when it was mentioned to my daughter as the rough draft began to take shape, her response was a bizarre combination of eyerolls (at least one full 360 degree turn in her head), laughter, and “Oh, Lord help us all!”

Each time I tried to do laundry, one or both machines were full of their clothing. When we entered the kitchen, we had to rearrange everything just to find a glass. Sharing a refrigerator was a new experience.

We chose to occupy the living room as a family while they made themselves scarce, or so it seemed.

There was an intercom system throughout the house. More than once, they were caught eavesdropping on us.

The utilities and new phone with a new number were in our name. It was our right, but there was plenty of whining, as they now had no phone. Yada, yada, yada.

It was a dilemma and the line thin as we endeavored to be cordial, kind, and yet exercise our own rights. We never expected to become fast friends, but we and our bewildered children maintained our dignity as we stayed amicable and avoided them.

Young Frankie, Jr., however, was another matter. A spoiled brat from the get go, he tried his best to get our collective goat. He was difficult at best, though perhaps different circumstances and some maturity on his part may have placed the experience in a bit better light.

The one occupant who was innocent was his newlywed wife. She was a sweetheart, and worked hard as a nurse while they occupied the basement.

A few years later, he made the national news when he was arrested for a DUI on his lawn tractor on the highway going into town for more beer. His pitiful little wife had struggled to keep the car keys from him because he had been driving and arrested for DUI so many times that his license had been revoked.

Sadly, he died at a young 49 years of age, cause of death unknown. A tragedy to be sure.

During this single week, we all learned valuable lessons. One being that we can actually get along with anyone if we aspire to. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

Walking on eggshells is out of my comfort zone, and this was no exception. My home is my safe place, a haven from the storms, trials, challenges, and struggles we endure in this life.

We were poorly prepared to live with strangers sharing nothing in common.

Happily, we can report that we passed the test, but one can only imagine what it was like for one and all.

Mostly, we tried to avoid one another, but a major thunderstorm created yet another challenge. My counsel is that, if you ever have to endure a similar circumstance, do what is right but do it as gracefully as possible.

When they finally removed the last of their belongings, we sincerely wished them well while hoping we would never encounter them again. It was a celebration!

We can do hard things. We can look back and recognize lessons learned. We are pleased with the way we conducted ourselves during what we termed the “nightmare” for years to come. Finally, we actually learned to laugh about the whole fiasco — including ourselves.

Stand your ground, but always do what is right. One word of caution: When you purchase your dream home, make sure all parties involved know when the time comes to vacate the premises — or at least hang a sign that says, “NO squatters allowed!”