People

 People are funny animals, aren't they?

We have got an uncomfortable situation going on in one of  our buildings. 

We became aware of it when the guy made a very pointed remark about another tenant. 

Startled me a bit. I said, 'is there a problem?'

He snapped, 'I ain't saying anything. I need a place to live.'

I was shocked. I said, 'We have no reason to evict you. You have been a good tenant, but she has too.'

He snapped in a disgusted voice, 'I see that he couldn't even be honest about who he was...'

Ah. That is the problem, I thought to myself. It surprised me. I met him at his nephew's wedding. His nephew is gay. 

I leaned my arms on the side of his truck and said it plainly, "listen, we are aware that she is transgendered. I saw no need to check what is in her pants. Didn't look in yours, either."

He laughed disgustedly and shook his head.

About the same time, the other tenant came down. 

I thought the situation had been made clear, but it has not. It may have even escalated a little bit. During the last snowstorm, she offered to help shovel. That set him off.

The thing is, he has a temper. We know this. But they live in the same building, and we can't have him terrorizing another tenant either. 

I made a point of talking to his brother. I said, 'I am just going to ask the question. Is your brother dangerous?"

The answer was careful. "Why?"

I gave the briefest of answers, but almost immediately, he figured it out. His brother had vented evidently.

He said that his brother did have a temper, but did not feel it would cross over to violence. He suggested that our tenant just avoid making eye contact. Mind her own business. Don't try to speak to him.

I said, 'That is fair enough. Our advice will be the same to him as well." 

His brother agreed but hesitated. "It is the history, mostly."

"Your brother alluded to that. I know you all grew up together..."

He said, "yeah..." and related a prank that had gone awry with tragic consequences. From the thumbnail sketch, it happened in junior high school. 12 or 13 years old.

I said, "you know, I kind of think that she has paid a heavy price for this. It sounds like she has had a lot of counseling. She has always been good and helpful to us

 I think of all the dumb things I did as a kid that could have had consequences just as devastating.

He agreed. 

Strange isn't it? A fifty-something year old man feels justified to mete out punishment 45 years later for something that was not considered criminal.

Hopefully he will settle down, but he called this morning. One of his complaints was about the Christmas cards we left for each of our tenants. We had a gift card in each one. He would rather we just apply the money to his rent from now on. 

Sometimes, people just say 'thanks' when they get a gift. 

People story number 2:

Tim goes to a new church now that we have moved. He is comfortable there. His father preached there years back.. One of the elders recognized the name. "You are practically royalty!' Made Tim laugh. But I think it makes him feel the church is familiar and comfortable. He is a shy person, quiet by nature.

He brought home a few Christmas cards he had been given. "Could you make out some cards for me?" 

As I was doing it, one of the names caught my eye immediately. I made a little noise and he looked at me. "What?"

The man had graduated from high school with my parents. 2 months later, he was best man at their wedding. It was a surprise to see the name pop up all over again. 

I made out the card. "Invite him and his wife to dinner sometime.."

So Sunday, he went back to church with his handful of cards. As he was talking to the old gentleman and his wife, another woman was surprised to learn that Tim had a wife, and had a few questions about why I did not attend. 

It would have been interesting to hear how Tim answered the questions. Like I said, he is pretty quiet and not given to lengthy explanations.

The woman said, "well, just tell her you've got a girlfriend at church! That will get her here."

Tim said, "No. She is not like that."

I am not like that either, mostly because he isn't like that. We laughed when he told me about it. "Quite a church you have found there, Mister. Married men going there to find girlfriends..." 

People are strange.