The Boy On The Balcony
A Day In The Life . . .
They say that charity begins at home. For those living in multi-family communities, apartments are home. Here’s a touching contribution I pulled from chapter 5 (The Bizarre and Unexplained) of my book, I Have A Complex, But I’m Managing It! The story, submitted by a property manager in Arlington, reminds me that there are always opportunities to bless others—we just have to look for them!
The Boy On The Balcony
Our model was in an upstairs unit that featured a large, wrap-around balcony. Beneath it lived an elderly couple who were long-time residents. The two came into the leasing office one day and told my staff and me they were very worried.
Apparently, a young man had been sleeping on the patio above them for the past few weeks. According to the couple, this boy, (equipped with a sleeping bag), would arrive after dark, climb up to the balcony and spend the night. By sunrise the next day, he’d be gone.
Care Packages Disappeared
Though they never actually had a conversation with the elusive visitor, the couple felt sorry for the kid and had begun throwing care packages up to him.
“It’s not much,” explained the wife. “Just granola bars, nuts, water bottles, those kinds of things. We feel sorry for him spending the night up there all alone.”
“It’s true,” agreed her husband. “And, every morning he’s gone before the dawn, but he always takes all the trash and everything with him. In fact, if we hadn’t caught a glimpse of him once or twice, we’d never even know he was up there. The kid is quiet as a mouse. He’s not hurting anything.”
While I wasn’t happy to learn we had a “balcony crasher” on the premises, my heart went out to our caring residents. The couple went on to tell us that they were concerned because it had been several days since the boy had been there.
“The care packages we left for him are still up on the balcony,” said the woman. “We’re hoping maybe you can talk to your on-site police officer and maybe he can look into it?”
I figured the boy was likely a runaway and doubted there was anything our security officer, Jim, could do to find the kid, but I assured the couple I’d speak to him and let them know what I found out.
Unfortunately, with little to go on, the mystery was never solved. The kid never returned and we were all left to wonder what became of the boy on the balcony.
From the book I Have a Complex, But I'm Managing It!, stories from property managers compiled by Monica E. Simmons.
Monica E. Simmons, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for JDC Enterprises, LLC, has worked in the multi-family industry in several different capacities since 1987. She is a published author whose books include; I Have A Complex, But I’m Managing It!, It Happened in The Hill Country and 30-Love.
Contact her at: Monica@TheVendorGuide.com
