For Three Years, My Landlord Never Cashed a Single One of My Rent Checks – When I Finally Demanded to Know Why, He Handed Me a Shoebox - Page 15

“Time for what?”

“To stand up again.”

I stared at him.

“Then why make me write the checks?”

“Because I didn’t want you to feel like a charity case.”

The answer landed harder than I expected.

He pointed at the box.

“You paid your rent every month. You did your part. What happened after that was my decision.”

I wiped my face.

“Nearly $29,000 is not a small decision.”

“No.”

“You could have used that money.”

“I have enough.”

“You wear the same shirt every day.”

“I own seven of them.”

I laughed through my tears.

For the first time, his mouth lifted slightly.

Then he reached into the shoebox and removed a white envelope from beneath the checks.

He slid it across the table.

My name was written on the front.

I opened it.

Inside was a letter from his bank.

It confirmed that the money in my account was mine. Mr. Alvarez had no intention of collecting the checks.