Tenant

Claire finished her second year of Physical Therapy school in the summer of 2019. Our typically confident and independent child struggled through the academic portion of the program at Western Kentucky University. She was looking forward to finally moving onto the practical portion of the program which she felt would be her strength.

It made no sense for Claire to sign a lease in Bowling Greene, Kentucky, for her last year as she would be traveling around the country to finish her rotations. So, we planned for her to move her possessions back to our home in Sussex, Wisconsin during this final phase of her graduate program.

Amy and I flew to Nashville and rented a car for the drive to Bowling Green. The plan was to rent a U-Haul there, load her possessions, and drive back to Wisconsin. Having endured numerous moves in my life, I asked her very sternly to prepare for the move in advance by boxing, wrapping and generally getting ready for the move. I cautioned her that Amy and I were only there to load the truck and hit the road for our return trip. I reiterated my position several times in the weeks leading up to our arrival.

Our flight into Nashville arrived 45 minutes early due to a medical emergency on the plane and we were able to get on the road to Claire’s place ahead of schedule. She had left the key to her apartment under a pot for us to gain entry as she completed her final exams.

When we walked into the apartment, my heart dropped. Claire had not even started to pack. Pictures hung on the wall, clothes remained on hangers in the closet, and in general, the place was a mess. Her only preparation had been to obtain several boxes from the grocery store. Even those were useless as they were boxes that had contained bananas and did not even have a solid bottom let alone anyway to seal them on top.

As I stared at the room in frustration and disbelief, Amy reached out and touched my arm. Her touch always had a calming effect on me in such situations. I sighed and merely said, “I’ll head to Home Depot for boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap.”

She rewarded me with one of her sweet smiles of understanding and replied, “I’ll start to get organized around here and start cleaning.”

In the end, we were able to pack up and leave as planned the next day.

This experience was fresh in my mind when Claire’s lease came to an end last year. Her roommate was getting married, and she came to me and asked me if she could move back home while looking for a house or condominium to purchase. I readily agreed as it made no sense to sign another lease if she wanted to take the next step toward home ownership.

I enlisted Carson and Hayley, Joe and his son Cal, and Morgan to all help with her move home. As moves go, this one went much better than our earlier experience. Claire had boxed her belongings prior to our arrival and after some dismantling of her bed and futon, we loaded the truck and drove the 15 miles home.

The initial plan was for Claire to begin looking for a house after Carson and Hayley’s wedding and the holidays were behind us. With any luck, she would find her new home and move out within a few months. Unfortunately, not everything works according to plan.

The Milwaukee housing market for entry level homes is atrocious. There is an absurd lack of supply. She began to look at homes in earnest by February. Her first offer was for $15,000 over asking price but it was not accepted by the owner. Over the next several months, she continued to look but the quality of homes and condominiums just wasn’t worth the asking prices in most cases. She did put in a few offers over the next few months but was outbid by absurd amounts.

Months dragged on without success. I jokingly began to refer to her as my tenant to my neighbors and friends. But unknowingly, I was becoming accustomed to having Claire part of my daily routine. It was convenient to have her take care of Macc (my anxiety filled dog) during my absences and stay at the house while I travelled.

Most importantly, I was grateful for the company. Even though our time together each day was limited to just a couple of hours most days due to her work schedule and both of our social outings, it was nice to have someone to talk to at the end of each day.

Last week, we looked at six different homes. There was one condominium in Pewaukee, Wisconsin that struck her. It was updated and had lower taxes and more reasonable condo fees than many of the others she had seen. She decided to make an aggressive offer and scrambled the rest of the day to complete the necessary paperwork. Her real estate broker recommended putting an expiration date of midnight in the offer to avoid any delay tactics that might induce a bidding war for the property.

That night Claire excitedly called me from Summerfest with the news that the owner had accepted her offer! My initial reaction was one of relief and excitement for her. She would finally be able to get settled into a place of her own and get busy with her own life without the distraction of her father’s presence.

After I hung up, it struck me hard. I was going to be alone in the house again. Emotions that I wasn’t even aware of welled up as I realized how much I would miss her.

The next day, we did not connect until late in the morning. When I saw her, a few tears made their way to the corners of my eyes (and hers) as I shared my excitement for her and my obvious feelings for how I would miss her. She shared with me that on the drive to the showing for this condo, two cardinals had swooped down in front of her windshield, a sign that it had Amy’s blessing (see Signs).

Later in the week, I attended a Brewer game with my friend Jim. He stated that this development would be good for BOTH Claire and me. I know he is right.

But it doesn’t change the fact that I will dearly miss my tenant.