I had mixed emotions when my tenant Raizy Berger called to tell me she’d signed a contract on a house. While I was thrilled for her that she had finally found something after months of house-hunting, I was sad to see her move away. Not only was she a great tenant, she was also a real friend. I was going to miss her terribly, but I knew how badly she needed more space.
“That’s amazing!” I said to her. “I miss you already, but I’m really happy for you too.”
“We only signed the contract last night,” she continued, “but I wanted you to be the first to know. I mean, it’s going to be a while before we move, so please don’t look for any new tenants yet. I’ll give you the required three months’ notice.”
“Of course I won’t,” I reassured her.
That night when my husband came home, I shared the news with him. “The Bergers are moving. They just signed on a house.”
“I already heard,” my husband replied. “Shmuely Berger made an announcement about it in shul.”
When Raizy had told me the news, I’d assumed it was something she wanted to keep under wraps, but apparently I was wrong. The next morning while I was speaking to another neighbor, Yudit, I brought up the topic of Raizy’s move.
“I’m so glad for her,” she said. “My husband mentioned it to me last night, but I wasn’t sure if I should congratulate her because I didn’t hear it from her directly.”
“They just signed yesterday,” I explained. “I guess she didn’t have a chance to tell you yet.”
The news spread fast. Within a day everyone was talking about the Bergers’ move. I was already being bombarded with phone calls from people who were interested in renting my basement, but I told everyone I wasn’t looking for tenants yet.
That Friday night, Raizy came upstairs to visit and chatted happily about her future house.
“I can’t even imagine what it’s like to have enough space,” she sighed happily. “I’ve already started packing. I’m still deciding if I should keep my boys in the same room or separate them.”
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