Beware of the Company You Keep

So, Vera called me Tuesday. Actually, she had been calling my Birmingham cell for the past few days, but she never left a message. Finally, she called my Arizona cell. This time I answered it.

You see, Vera wants a place to live. She heard I was the lady with the rental homes and took the time to reach out. I told her about one I have available (Haroldine's) and a few more I am pretty sure are coming available in a few months. The one Haroldine lives in was marginally of interest. You see, Vera' sister lives on that street. Small world.

However, what Vera really wanted was for me to go out and buy a place for her to live. In a particular neighborhood and school district. I explained--in an ever so nice way--that wasn't happening. Even if I screen Vera and decided to take a chance, felt motivated and had the resources, banks aren't lending. This isn't happening.

As we were wrapping up our chat, I asked her how she heard about me. "A friend gave me your number," she innocently said.

When I inquired "Who might that be?" Vera immediately began stammering and finally threw out that she just wasn't sure. I pressed a bit longer just to hear Vera tell me she had my number for a while. She knows lots of people and it could have been anybody. And, my personal favorite, "You know, Birmingham is a big place. I just don't keep track of what people tell me."

Good enough for me. I know everything I want to know.