Gratitude

Once upon a time--about five or six years ago actually--Ms. Angie called me. Her Southern drawl was so thick and rich that I only caught about one out of every 27 words. The reason she called me was she heard from someone I was the lady who had houses for rent. Could I help her?

At the time I couldn't. But that didn't stop her from calling every six months or so. In fact, unbeknownst to me, it turns out she was resigning a six month lease with her landlord so that if I did have something that came available, she would be ready.

But, not only was Ms. Angie calling about renting from me, she also called for other items. For whatever reason, she decided I was the foremost expert on Birmingham real estate and Alabama landlord-tenant law. Mind you, when she called I would listen with everything I had to make sure I half way understood her. It wasn't like we were buddies.

And, she seemed sweet enough, but every time she called, I didn't really have anything that suited her. Or, if I did, something came up in her life (like emergency surgery) and she didn't feel like she could, "do me right" by signing a lease at that time. In fact, I believe it was about this time I was familiar enough with her I actually started understanding her most of what she said.

A couple of years ago, I ended up with a trashed vacant home. Mr. Richards had been beamed up by aliens at an earlier date, and left me with quite a mess. Though he had evaporated into thin air, he had left all his worldly possessions, plus a few other hassles behind. And, it was just when I was reeling from this headache that Ms. Angie called again.

Ms. Angie needed to move. But, I warned her the home wasn't ready to show. So, if she could wait a few weeks, I would let her have first dibs. I did offer to give her the address and let her drive by. Which she did.

She also ran into Carolsue that day working diligently and cussing Mr. Richards' mother for not raising him properly. Carolsue, wasn't able to hold Ms. Angie back (nor did she probably try) as Ms. Angie marched into the house and looked around at the mess. Somewhere around the basement, hip deep in leftover Mr. Richards' droppings, Ms. Angie called me, "I want this house. When can I move in?" she asked.

Ms. Angie has been renting from me ever since. For the past year and a half, Ms. Angie has dutifully sent the rent on time every month. She will e-mail the day she sends it and call me two days later to make sure I received it. None of my other tenants have ever done this. Ever.

However, in January funds were a bit tight and she asked if she could pay late. I obliged, not the least bit worried she would take advantage (are you listening Ms. Shirley???). On Tuesday, Ms. Angie called me and left a message. She didn't want to mail the rent, as it was the first of the month and she knew my mortgage payment was due. Instead, could she please have my account number and deposit the money directly into my bank? Not a problem.

And, just like her, she called back a few hours later. I figured she was calling to let me know the money was there. Nope. Ms. Angie just called to thank me for letting her pay late. And, not to worry, she promised not to make a habit of this.