For about eight years, I rented out a flat to a coupleboth from out of town. The bloke worked at a garage, and the girl was a sales assistant. The rent covered the bills for my place, the one I was letting, and left a bit extra for petrol. We had a decent landlord-tenant relationship, no complaints over the years. Then last year, the lass rang me in tears. Shed found a lump in her breast, struggled to get a GP appointment, waited ages for tests, and it turned out to be stage three cancer. When her boyfriend found out, he left her. She had no one to helpmates, sure, but not close ones, and none well-off. She couldnt afford the rent anymore since hed been the main earner, so she planned to move out. Asked for two weeks to sort things. She meant to go back to her village, where theres a small hospitalget the surgery here, then follow up there. But I knew she needed proper treatment, needed to stay in the city. Our hospitals gooddifferent league. Told her she could stay rent-free while she got treatment. If she could chip in for utilities, fine; if not, Id manage. She was so grateful, crying her eyes out. Her mum came up from the village to help after the surgery. It all went wellshe got through the operation, the chemo, went into remission.
While they lived there, they did pay something toward bills, not always the full whack, but something. Said they couldnt take the mick. The worst bit? People who knew the story called me daftsaid Id wasted money, couldve rented to someone else. Workmates, some mates, even my mum! Have people really got so heartless they cant see when someones had the rug pulled out? The ex never came back, even slagged her offsaid shed be a freak with one tit. Shes a pretty girl, but hearing that? Bloody awful.
Now? Shes grand. Healthy, regular check-ups, good prognosis. Kept working, kept renting from me, then met a new blokegetting married this summer! Im dead chuffed for her. Weve become close through all this, and Im a proper guest at the wedding. Come autumn, theyre planning a mortgage and moving out. I didnt go skint while the rent was short, though it was tighter, no lie. But Im glad I helped. Life and health matter more than money.
