They put up the flat I rented for sale, so I had to move out. I cleaned every corner and left. The next day the landlady called. I got scared that they’d found something broken. But she started to thank me for cleaning the place.
And then she suddenly said,
“How come you’re not angry? Most tenants just leave things a mess or argue.”
I paused. Then said, “Because that flat was home. Even if it’s no longer mine, it deserves to be treated with respect.”
She was silent for a moment before saying something I didn’t expect:
“Would you be interested in buying it? I’ve never offered that to anyone, but… you felt like the right person.”
I didn’t have the answer right then. But for the first time in a long time, I felt seen—not just as a tenant, but as someone who truly cared.
Sometimes, how you leave something… says everything about who you are.