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CLOUDS ARE BLOCKING THE SUN this morning. Sometimes, however, the sunshine prevails--poking through the cloud cover. In much the same way, my optimism at times trumps my pessimistic thoughts. It happens to be my less-than-ideal tenant clouding up my meditations today.

This less-than-ideal tenant, she's the one, Reader Dear, who smiled a triumphant smile when the judge peered over her glasses and intoned, "If you pay, you can stay!"

Well, then...after that decree at the Magistrate's Office, the court had issued me an invitation to rendezvous at the home of this ornery tenant. The date set for it was eleven days later. One o'clock. If the hostess at this small get-together had not paid her rent (nor had she and her permanent guest deserted the place) by that time, I was not to worry. A constable would also be attending the event!

On the appointed day, I'd pulled into the parking lot at one o'clock sharp, my heart doing a little thump-a-dump, curious as to what would transpire! I didn't see any official-looking vehicle, but as I got out of my car, I noticed a great hulking guy climbing out of an SUV. He walked over to greet me. "I'm the constable," he said, and shook my hand. "Has she paid?"

Dear Reader, this situation had filled me with suspense to the very last minute. I'd imagined quite a few scenarios. But now here we were This was it! And the answer was......NO.

The constable and I walked together to the porch and I rang the bell. Just like that, the door had opened narrowly and a wad of cash was thrust my way. "Here's your rent!" my less-than-ideal tenant had informed me. The constable stood calmly by as I counted it out--all that the court had decreed she must pay in order to stay.

"And how about February rent?" I had asked. "It's now the middle of month. Do you have February rent?"

"Nah," she told me, "I'll pay that later."

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Well, Dear Reader, on this day full of clouds and sun, it appears that my less-than-ideal tenant had a later day in mind than I might have suspected. It appears she intends to pay on a much later day....


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