Sep 22 2007
The Sign Of the Dog, Part V
Mr. O’Apostrophe and I had very different modes of communication.
I spoke to him respectfully and clearly.
He spoke to me defensively and shot out assorted sounds in a thick Irish accent.
I placed my rental checks in letter-sized envelopes with his name neatly written on the front. If I had to leave him a note, I would create a formal letter on my computer and print it out. I never mailed Mr. O’A – I would leave my checks or letters in the house letterbox for him to pick up.
Mr. O’ Apostrophe’s messages to me were scrawls on whatever paper seemed to be handy: crinkled notepaper, oil stained paper bags and in the case of rent increase notices, he’d tuck an oft-photocopied form into letter-sized envelope.
He would leave these notices tucked between the door and the frame. Most notes he left seemed to have been stepped on.
It was with a certain amount of glee that I wrote up my letter giving him my 30-days notice that I would be moving out. Mr. O’A knew that I was aware of my rights as a tenant. He found this out after the first time he tried to raise my rent above the legal limit.
My letter included my expectation of receiving my security deposit along with the interest earned on it. I had a nice easy-to-read table of the interest earned over the past 9 years.
I stated that I expected my full deposit back based on the excellent condition of the apartment. I added that I had receipts for improvements I had made on the apartment (paint, repairs) as well as all the rug cleanings.
I didn’t mention that I also had photos of the apartment prior to my moving in.
I called up Mr. O’A and we scheduled the apartment walk-through.
It was a Sunday afternoon. I was ready to rumble.
I arrived and noticed that the garage door was open and Mrs. O’A was in the basement. We greeted each other and it seemed she’d be doing the inspection instead of her husband.
We walked around to my entrance. Mrs. O’A and I chatted politely and I asked if she was able to get another tenant. She said that yes, she had one lined up already.
We walked in. The place looked great – very clean. It was a sunny day and light streamed in. The place didn’t look that different from when I had moved in 9 years ago.
Here’s where it gets very weird:
Mrs. O’A looked around and said, “Oooh, this looks so nice. You’ve taken good care of the place.”
I replied that I had spent a lot of time cleaning and that it was in move-in condition.
She walked around and said what good condition the rug was in and how clean it looked.
I said that I cleaned it regularly and didn’t allow people to wear shoes on it. She said that that was a good idea.
She looked quite please with the place and HANDED ME A CHECK for the ENTIRE amount I had requested. It was all made out and everything.
She said, “You were a very good tenant – I never had to ask you for rent. You just never know who you’re going to get. You never bothered us, you were very-very good. I’m sorry that you’re leaving.”
Ms. Q: [Who is this woman???] Actually, I would’ve stayed longer, but I couldn’t take all the barking.
Mrs. O’A: Barking?
At this point, the dogs started barking in the basement. Since the apartment was empty, the sound bounced all over the place.
Mrs. O’A: You never called me about the barking.
Ms. Q: Well, I spoke to your husband. I wanted to work things out. I know that your daughter and son-in-law are trying to make some money, so I thought maybe a baby monitor could be installed … Mr. O’A told me I should wear earplugs.
Mrs. O’A: He said that?
At this point the barking increased. Barking in the background, barking in the foreground, here a bark, there a bark, everywhere a bark-bark.
Mrs. O’A: [stunned] Oh! That’s a bit…loud.
Ms. Q: Yeah. I figured that I was probably the best tenant for this situation, what with me being on the road most of the time. The barking could really get to someone and it certainly got to me.
At this point, Mr. O’A walked in. His wife looked at him. I looked at her looking at him. He didn’t look at either of us, just muttered and bustled around.
Mrs. O’A: Well, I’m sorry to see you go. The place looks so good.
I was surprised and pleased. I had been poised for battle. We all shook hands and I said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. O’A.
I walked out into the warm fall day.
My home of 9 years looked about the same, it hadn’t changed much.
But I had.
* * * * *
End Notes:
The check did not bounce.
A couple of you wanted “evidence” so here’s a photo taken shortly after I moved in to my new home.
I haven’t had to travel in a while and I figure you’re all suffering from Airport Restroom Withdrawal.
Hope this helps:
THE END.
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Great story…and toilet?
Life has a funny way of twisting and turning, like a new road with sudden lane changes and confusing signs. When you get comfortable with a new road, a detour will no doubt be in the future.
Did you feel sad as you left? I have found that even after leaving something that was not really what I wanted – like a job, or place to live, etc… that I have a sense of loss, or in a better compairison “that I am leaving a small piece of myself behind”.
As always, I love your posts. You give them a personal touch, as if you are talking directly to the reader.
Eric “Speedcat Hollydale”
Speedcat: Did I feel sad? Not really. It was a bit of a relief, what with all the barking and finally facing up to my fears and moving on. It was more like, This Is Done.
I do know what you mean by feeling a bit sad when moving on. I felt that when I quit my career as a florist. End of an era.
Sounds like you’ve had your own twists and turns on your road of life. Not to mention tornadoes!
Thanks for such a nice compliment – I’m glad you feel that I am speaking directly to you. I do write with my readers (and sometimes a particular reader) in mind.
Well I’m glad that the end of the story seemed to end well. That’s better than what I was expecting! It’s rather unfortunate that it couldn’t have been resolved earlier, huh? I guess it goes to show you that just because one person in a family is obstinate does not mean the entire family is so.
Well, hopefully she’s now the former-Mrs.-O’A.
I’m so glad not to have to deal with landlords anymore. Although I did love the one I had in England (Mr. Moses with the glass eye). Congratulations on not shooting anyone throughout this ordeal and on getting into a bark-free zone.
Derek: I wasn’t expecting such a smooth walk-through, either! I knew I was a great tenant and had done everything correctly but I never had any warm interactions with either of the O’As.
I usually dealt with Mrs. O’A on the phone and the few times I met her it wasn’t planned and she had a very distant/unwelcoming look on her face. Which I may have been projecting on her all this time. Both her and her husband were curt which could be cultural.
Too bad about the issue not being resolved earlier and I’ve wondered at what happened to the tenant after me! I am sure they had no idea about the puppies.
The puppies were a good thing – they got me out!
PITS: Mrs. O’A probably stuck with her husband. She did give him a LOOK when she heard about the “wear earplugs” followed by the barking (great timing!) and then him walking in. It was priceless. I kept a straight face and tried to stick with the facts when I recounted the reason (no anger or emphasis on words).
Yeah, it’s nice not to have a landlord. Mr. O’A was my only one. I know a few property owners – “regular folk” who have a small apartment building (1-4 units) and who really want take care of their tenants but end up with having to deal with property destruction, difficult rental laws, all that. I see both sides of the landlord-tenant issue. Glad you had a good one in England.
It always amazes me how people can trash where they live just because they don’t own it. Well…I won’t get into the larger issue of how we’re all trashing earth (I don’t recycle as much as I should!) but in my condo people leave a mess in the trash room, spill stuff, it’s always “someone else’s problem.” Hope to write a post on that at some point.
Yeah, no one was hurt in the making of this post!
Had you had the opportunity to talk to her then you probably wouldn’t have had a reason to move. But I’m sure the move is what needed to occur, with or without the dogs.
I like the ending.
UT: Mrs. O’A may have been polite but even if they had installed some type of solution like a baby monitor for the barking, it would have only delayed my move. I needed to move. It was a good thing!
I’m glad I moved out and my current home is “more me” as a friend told me. I had outgrown my old home.
As far as a “sign from the Universe,” I got it pretty easy with puppies. In looking back, I am pretty sure some higher power is affectionately laughing!
I occasionally check out my former digs. Some yard work was done but the gate looks as rickety as ever, the window screens are still torn and I wonder if they updated the interior at all. The shower (there was no tub) was this fiberglass thing with this caulked hole and a tendency to mildew. The entire place tended to mildew. Not a bad place at all and it was my cozy home for many years.
Wow – Nine years – I’ve never lived ANYWHERE nine years! It’s nice that the story has a happy ending! You were SO SMART to take those before photos!!!!!!! Good you didn’t need them though.
It looks like a nice place from the little you can see in the photo. I like the floor and that square shaped shelf thing is neat!
Jill: My living there for 9 years is indicative of how loath I am to make changes! I had heard of people’s rental stories so knew to take before photos just in case the landlord said, “You damage this!” and then I could show the photos and say, “Uh, no, this was here before I moved in..”
I like my floor, too! I was raised with hardwood floors so like wood flooring. My apt had this mid-quality beige rug with cigarette burns. When I purchased my condo I only purchased one upgrade (they offered all sorts of things like stainless steel appliances, chi-chi lighting, customized closets) and that was the flooring. The unit came with this Pergo (looks like wood) flooring with narrow planks – maybe 3″ wide. I decided to go for the upgrade (which wasn’t much in the big freakin’ mortgage scheme of things) and get wide planks. I could have chosen cherry or oak but love the nice light look of maple.
Turned out that the upgrade mean that the flooring had a 25 year warranty (!!) as opposed to the 10 year flooring warranty and the floor itself had an actual maple veneer which meant it could be refinished! The included floor could not be refinished what with it being some fake thing. So..good investment. Besides, it’s very soothing to look at.
Yeah, I also like my shelf. It only took me oh, 4 -5 years to find it when I lived in my old place. I hate shopping and I have a certain idea of what I want. But..once I find it, it usually works out very well. It was AMAZING how well my furniture fit into my condo. I still have a bit too much hand-me-down wicker but…some day.
That shelf is on wheels and can be used as a room divider in the event I move to a bigger place. I do tend to plan out my purchases. It goes to that measure-15 times thing I mentioned
Glad you like my taste! Hmmm… all I recall is how your freezer looks and uh, your water heater?
No comments on my toilet?
Glad the situation was diffused peacefully and even I bet Mr. O’A got a stern talking to by his wife. Hopefully even slapped.
Ricardo: I would hope that Mr. O’A got a stern talking to from his wife. I do wonder how much they increased the rent to after I moved. I think prior tenants moved out every couple of years and some they had had to remove because they didn’t pay rent or were very troublesome.
Well, an end to an era!