{"id":7036,"date":"2025-02-24T14:10:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T14:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=7036"},"modified":"2025-02-24T14:10:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T14:10:27","slug":"rich-landlord-evicts-poor-old-lady-from-rental-home-goes-to-family-dinner-and-sees-her-there-story-of-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=7036","title":{"rendered":"Rich Landlord Evicts Poor Old Lady from Rental Home, Goes to Family Dinner and Sees Her There \u2014 Story of the Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

A heartless landlord gives a woman who falls short on her rent notice. But when he goes to his sister\u2019s house for a family dinner, he is shocked to find her there.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Life is hard, and it becomes even harder if the hearts that surround us are made of stone. Diane Salinger knew about life. At sixty-two, she\u2019d seen a lot more dark days than sunny and cried a lot of tears.
\nBut Diane wasn\u2019t the kind of woman to give up. Every time life knocked her down, she bounced back up again, ready to fight again. She had lost her husband three years before, then a tornado razed her home. But she just picked up the stakes and started over again.
\nShe took her savings and bought herself a small grocery store in a pretty mid-sized town in Michigan. It was perfect for her. A big enough town that would appreciate a few of the exotic items she intended to carry, small enough to be cozy and warm.<\/p>\n

\n

Cozy and warm might describe the community in general, but not Diane\u2019s landlord, Chris Turkle. It was from Chris that Diane rented her small apartment within walking distance of the store.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

When the going gets tough it\u2019s important to be there for each other.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
\n

As far as it went, Diane was the perfect tenant. She was quiet, didn\u2019t damage the property, and always paid her rent on time. And then one month, she was short.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chris fanned out the money he\u2019d taken from the envelope in front of Diane and waved it in her face. \u201c$120 short, Mrs.Salinger.\u201d
\nDiane blushed. \u201cAs I was explaining, Mr. Turkle, since so many of the small businesses have been struggling during Covid\u2026 Well, I extended credit to some needy families\u2026And this month, I\u2019m a little short. But you know I\u2019m good for it! I will pay you the $120 in two weeks\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re willing to go under playing Mother Teresa, that\u2019s YOUR problem,\u201d Chris snapped. \u201cI, Mrs.Salinger, am a businessman, not a charity! I want you out by the end of the week!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cBut Mr. Turkle\u2026\u201d Diane protested. \u201cIt\u2019s only for a week, and it won\u2019t happen again!\u201d
\n\u201cIt happened once, and it\u2019s enough for me, Mrs.Salinger. You\u2019re OUT.\u201d Chris said coldly, and he turned his back and walked out. He felt quite justified. He\u2019d seen Diane\u2019s grocery store, and it did brisk business.<\/p>\n

\n

There were always people trooping in and out with heavy shopping bags full of delicious-looking produce, and her deli section, he\u2019d heard, was extremely popular. \u201cShort on cash indeed!\u201d he snorted to himself. \u201cTaking advantage is what it is!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chris went home and got himself ready to go to dinner at his baby sister\u2019s house. Vanessa was his favorite sister, and he often worried about her. She had married and divorced a man who seemed to be constantly unemployed, and Vanessa worked two jobs to make ends meet.
\nHe\u2019d offered to give her 16-year-old son a weekend job, but Vanessa always refused, blushing. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, Chris,\u201d she\u2019d say. \u201cI\u2019ll make do!\u201d But Chris had seen the dark shadows under her eyes and how thin her face was getting.
\nIt was his nephew\u2019s birthday, so Chris tucked a $20 note into an envelope and put it in his jacket pocket. Then he headed for the door and walked the three blocks to Vanessa\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

\n

He knocked on the door, and Vanessa welcomed him with a happy smile. She looked more relaxed and a lot happier. Whatever she was cooking for dinner smelled delicious, and his mouth watered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cHey there!\u201d he said, kissing her on the cheek. \u201cWhere\u2019s the birthday boy?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cPlaying video games with Diane!\u201d Vanessa smiled. \u201cCome on in!\u201d Vanessa walked to the stairs and shouted: \u201cJoss, Diane, come on down! It\u2019s dinner time!\u201d
\nTo Chris\u2019 chagrin, in walked Mrs.Salinger, the tenant he\u2019d just booted out of his property, and she seemed to be on great terms with his nephew and his sister! Diane was just as stunned to see Chris, but she was admirably cool.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cHello,\u201d she smiled. \u201cNice to see you. I didn\u2019t know you were Vanessa\u2019s brother\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chris blushed and cleared his throat. \u201cEhr\u2026Yes, my younger sister\u2026you know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cCome on, everyone,\u201d cried Vanessa. \u201cThe roast will get cold!\u201d
\n\u201cRoast!\u201d cried Joss. \u201cThat\u2019s my favorite\u2026But mom, I know you only get paid next week! How can we afford this?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Diane smiled at Joss and patted his hand. \u201cDon\u2019t you worry about that,\u201d she said. \u201cYour mom\u2019s credit is good with me. That smells AMAZING, and I\u2019m starving!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

In a low voice, Chris leaned in and asked, \u201cIs Vanessa the person you\u2019re helping?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Diane smiled. \u201cShe\u2019s one of them,\u201d she replied. \u201cMaybe she didn\u2019t tell you, but one of her jobs fell through, so I\u2019m just helping out until she\u2019s back on her feet.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Chris felt a wave of shame color his cheeks. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry about\u2026you know\u2026 But why doesn\u2019t Vanessa come to me?\u201d
\nDiane said gently, \u201cYou know, we all have our pride. Vanessa wants to stand on her own two feet and raise her boy. Help from a friend is one thing \u2014 being a poor relation asking for charity is another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Chris whispered, \u201cI tell you what, from now on, you have the apartment at half-price \u2014 call it an investment in the town\u2019s well-being and my sister\u2019s!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

By the end of the evening, Chris had discovered that Diane was a very lovely and funny woman and that he enjoyed her company immensely. That night, his perception of his community shifted. He was going to follow Diane\u2019s example. He was going to give a helping hand.<\/p>\n

\n
    \n
  • When the going gets tough, it\u2019s important to be there for each other.\u00a0<\/strong>Diane was quietly helping the poorer people in town by selling them food on credit she knew they could never repay.<\/li>\n
  • Being able to admit you\u2019re wrong and change your ways is an extraordinary thing.<\/strong>\u00a0Chris not only realized he was wrong about Diane, but he also started to help those who were struggling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
    \n

    Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A heartless landlord gives a woman who falls short on her rent notice. But when he goes to his sister\u2019s house for a family dinner, he is shocked to find her there. Life is hard, and it becomes even harder if the hearts that surround us are made of stone. Diane Salinger knew about life….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7037,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nRich Landlord Evicts Poor Old Lady from Rental Home, Goes to Family Dinner and Sees Her There \u2014 Story of the Day - VM News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=7036\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rich Landlord Evicts Poor Old Lady from Rental Home, Goes to Family Dinner and Sees Her There \u2014 Story of the Day - VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A heartless landlord gives a woman who falls short on her rent notice. 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