“We’ve got a disaster here!”, she say’s in a panic. “There’s water pouring down the stairs into the lobby!”
“Is it coming from apartment 101?” I ask her.
“Yep”, she answers.
I knew it. Stuff like this happens at the most inconvenient times, when I’m furthest away from the building. I had just been pulling up to S.F. General Hospital for an appointment when I got the call from the panicky wife. I new where the water was coming from due to my second sense I’ve developed over the years being “The Manager”.
It’s not magic, it’s all math. Calculations are made like those of a seasoned fighter pilot. The problems will usually lead to the most problematic tenant in a situation like this. Anomalies are somewhat a rarity in a job like this. This person is very new and already I’ve had one problem after another. I had sworn I’d never let another dog in the building. I’ve had endless problems in allowing people to have dogs in the last couple of years…a failed experiment.
This person was adamant in getting a dog and plead her case well. I finally relented and said:
“OK, as long as you promise me they’ll be no problems!”
“Oh, no problem I assure you.” she says to me.
Now the dog is barking incessantly disturbing neighbors, peeing every time you look at the miserable thing. Now she tells me that the dog got out of it’s kennel and turned the bath tub water on!
I suppose he was pouring a bubble bath for his girlfriend Fee Fee the French Poodle. I bet they’d be taking a bath together with candles and Yani playing quietly in the background when his master got home from work and walked through the door… She obviously turned the water on herself and forgot about it.
It’s really amazing what people will come up with to avoid accepting responsibility. BTW no offer from her to come down and help me clean up… Privileged youth I suppose. I was like that to some extent when I was younger, so I guess I need to temper my judgments with the thought of one day she maybe in the same position as I am now.
I’m not perfect either.
