Hick had some sad news last week from the senior apartments. One of the residents passed away. Not IN her apartment. Her family had moved her into a care home in December. They were still paying the apartment rent. I asked Hick if she was having issues, and needed assistance.
"That's the funny thing. She was just fine. Cuttin' up with them other gals at lunch. I'd tell them jokes. Like 'What's the difference between a pregnant woman and a light bulb? You can unscrew a light bulb.' She'd just laugh and laugh along with them. I didn't see nothin' wrong with her, except she was 89 years old. Then all of a sudden, they tell me she died!
The gal who runs the lunch service said the son-in-law asked if she knew anbody who could clean out the apartment and get rid of the stuff. I said that I'd do it for $250. To ask and see if he wanted to talk to me. He did. He said they'd go through and get what they wanted, and then they'd pay me to clear out everything else. He asked if I'd take the clothes to the local ministerial alliance, so they could go to somebody who needed them. I said I would. He said that's what his wife wanted. I said if it was nice stuff, I would."
Well. A few days later, Hick said he had the apartment almost cleaned out. "Except for the clothes. They're going to the dump when I take some other stuff to throw away."
"You can't do that! You promised you'd take them to the alliance store. I think it's terrible not to carry out a dead woman's wishes."
"It wasn't the dead woman. It was what her daughter wanted. Nobody's gonna want the clothes of an 89-year-old woman."
"Still. You said you would do it."
"They'll never know."
This was upsetting. If you say you'll do something, you should do it!
Yesterday, Hick said that he'd be meeting with the son-in-law so he could look through the apartment, and then pay Hick his $250.
"Oh, and I took the clothes over to the thrift store. So I did what they wanted."
Good for Hick. It was only the decent thing to do. Also, Hick said there was a family picture.
"I kept it and showed the son-in-law. I figured since it was family, they'd want it. He said no! 'Nobody wants that! It's my wife with her first husband, and their kids. She sure doesn't want it, and I don't, either.' He was pretty clear on that. But I thought I should ask."
Anyhoo... the apartment has been cleaned, and Hick rented it to somebody else. Plus, he made almost his monthly salary with the clean-out. Less the cost of the dump.
LOL, Hick wasn't wrong. But it's nice he took those clothes over anyway. $250 cleaning up is a great amount, minus those dump fees- I wonder if he found anything of resale value?
ReplyDeleteIf those people tried to find somebody else to clean out the contents of the apartment, it probably would have cost more. Hick is known for undercutting his competition. He's not trying to get rich, just to make a little profit. I don't know if he found anything worth selling. Or if he used Old Buddy for help, in which case he'd have to pay him. I'll have to ask.
DeleteI think you made Hick rethink his decision not to donate the clothes as he said he would:) If the thrift shop doesn't want them, they'll probably just dump them but if the thrift shop thinks they'll sell, that's a good thing. It's a win/win situation either way.
ReplyDeleteYes. I was surprised Hick even considered dumping the clothes, since he stands by his word when he makes a deal.
DeleteI agree it's a good thing the clothes went to the thrift store. Here anything unsaleable in thrift stores usually ends up as rags in bags, available at hardware stores for jobs where rags for cleanup are handy, like painting etc. The bags of rags sell for about $2.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what happens to their unsaleable clothes around here. I don't recall ever seeing bags of rags for sale in the home supply stores.
DeleteI don't know if we even have a hardware store left. They've been squeezed out by Lowe's and Menards and a couple of local lumberyards. The last one I recall was over in Bill-Paying Town. We went to get something at Christmas for my mom. Maybe a little stepstool/ladder thingy. Hick will always shop the local merchants if he can. This was probably 15 years ago.