Judging by Sight

My wife and I are starting a cleaning business. We've gotten a lot of calls already. We've settled so far for 2 commercial/retail clients and 1 residential client (who intends to get us more clients within his luxury complex).

Now these previous ones we received by flyers we made and went around town and left them wherever we saw fit.

The next two potential clients we received from our Craig's List post.

The first one was a lady who called herself "Fox". I couldn't understand her very well on the phone. I had to apologize multiple times and ask her to repeat herself because I simply could not understand. At any rate, we eventually show up to her house.

I go in to perform the estimate and I meet her and her husband. Turns out there is no "Fox", but they are Bev and John. They seemed nice enough. Frail, as she sounded on the phone, and he was stout but low energy. They were probably in their late 50's to early 60's.

She showed me what she wanted done, and I told her what I would do.

When I walked by their den, which was closed off by doors with framed glass, I saw a picture frame with art on it. And there were hebrew characters on it. Now I noticed it and thought, "Oh, well maybe they're Jewish then."

So when I was done walking about, we discussed prices. I didn't think it, but for some reason, I felt compelled to offer lower prices than I felt like offering. And every time they asked for a price, they both stared at me like I was fresh meat. It was spooky, really.

So I told them $60 for the initial cleaning, $50 bi-weekly, and $40 weekly.

The gentleman nodded his head in agreement each time.

We talked about my name, (Tarzan, everyone knows), and about my wife and kids. And then I left.

Now another client called. I couldn't understand a word SHE was saying. But I finally discerned her name was "Eli". (pronounced eh-lee). I had to apologize to HER over and over and say, "please repeat that, maybe the phone cut-out?"

So I finally got to go over to her house.

I showed up and tried to ring the door bell. No answer. I thought I had seen someone near the car in the back of their house, so I went that way. All of a sudden, dogs go crazy and start barking like crazy at me. Big dogs. Mean dogs. Haha. This lady says, "What are you doing in the back of the house?!" I said, "I'm Tarzan, I'm looking for Eli!" She said, "But why are you back here? Why didn't you go to the front door?" I said, "I pushed the button to ring, but there was no answer." She said, "That doesn't work."

Then I went around to the front, and she let me in. The --big-- dogs busted free from their back room and she turned around immediately and said, "GO." And the dogs somehow managed to pull an about-face, side-by-side, and cram next to each other back into the back room. She closed the door.

I said, "I'm so sorry for the trouble."

She said, "no, no, it's okay."

So we did the rounds. She was quick. Thorough. Impressive. It's not often that I have a hard time keeping up with someone's explanation. Talk about detail. Good thing I had my clipboard with me.

After the walk around, she told me what days she liked, and how much she knew to pay. And her rate was good. $70 for upstairs and downstairs, $35 for only downstairs, and $12 an hour for other minor chores. Sweet.

But I haven't told you what she looked like and how she talked. She was definitely middle-eastern. I think she was Lebanese or Egyptian. I can usually tell the little differences. She was a pretty woman, so that is probably why I wasn't able to discern. Her husband was definitely Iranian. His accent and his skin tone screamed it. I could tell. Also, when he showed up, Eli said her husband's name (which I still don't understand what was said), and said, "This is Tarzan." I was afraid to go shake his hand, I said, "Hello sir!" And he stood there. Upon contemplation earlier, I realized he stood there and felt a little maybe offended that I didn't go approach him. But it's interesting, because he changed his mind, and wondered if he shouldn't have approached me. Because later he met my wife and he walked directly up to her and introduced himself. So he immediately took responsibility for something that I should have done. That impressed me, and now I know better.

Anyway, both houses were nice. Eli's house was a little nicer on the inside.

But here is the reason I am telling you all of this.

We had to tell both potential clients that we got another commercial job lined up (we only had one before), and that was an opportunity we did not want to refuse. My wife and I have two kids, we want to get little home; we gotta get "on our feet" as society calls it.

Now, because I had spoken with both women, I had already developed a slight attachment to both. So I felt bad. So I asked my wife. "Will you please call them and tell them. I know I'm being a wuss, but I feel bad."

She said, "Yeah, that's fine. It's okay you been doing the calls and the meetings, I'll do this."

My wife calls both today. She leaves a voice-mail on Bev and John's answering machine telling them that we are sorry but we will not be able to take them as our client because we got a job opportunity that is really good for us.

My wife calls Eli. Eli answers. My wife says the same thing to Eli. Eli says, "No! It's okay! I will be fine! You have to do what you have to do. Please, do what you will. If you are able to grow your employees, then please, call me back and I would like to work directly with you in the future."

Bev calls my wife back.

....

That woman was just plain wrong. She screamed, scratched, kicked, bit; The lady that previously sounded and looked like she was frail and falling apart gained enough energy to rip through an Amish country side during tornado season and rip everything apart. She laid into my wife really badly, implied she was a whore, and called her a bi***, and that's just because she was trying to apologize that we would not be able to take her as a client.


I am not entirely sure if you'll see what I'm getting at, but I hope you do, if you read it all and took it all in.

Now I had to remind my wife that Bev could be hurting badly, too, and to not be so angry at her. We don't know what's going on in her life. But I did have to admit that I was sort of conned at their house and I gave lesser prices because I was manipulated discreetly. And I had to admit that Eli did an excellent thing and she really needed the help more, to be honest, because she has severe asthma (which I forgot to mention earlier - that's why she needs cleaning help).

You know, I thought for sure that Jews would be better to deal with, and ones that are straight from Arabia themselves would be the harder to deal with.

I was

Utterly

And Completely

Wrong.

Eli and her husband may not be Christian, but they sure acted like it.

Bev and John are Jewish, but they sure didn't act Christian by any measure of the word at all.

Don't let that bother you. Because of this scenario, I have settled on a new rule, and as soon as I had settled on it, the horrible anxiety I woke up with was lifted from me immediately, to God's credit.

From now on, I don't care what country, what religion, whatever. If you show love, You are Christian in my eyes.

From now on, I don't care if you say you're Jewish or Christian. If you don't show it, you are the dogs; not the people overseas which you destroy.

Pointless post. Sorry

Well Tarzan,
I look at it like this.
Some people are a$$holes. It is who they are.
It's not their religion, their country of origin....or their skin colour.
It's inside, where you can't see it.
Eventually it comes through to the surface though.
It is what it is.
jacygirl

reply to post by jacygirl


jacygirl,

that's right. And I've always known that. But I've never actually been subjected to the actual experience of seeing the supposed "enemies" of each other represent so opposite traits than the descriptions my country, the USA, would have me believe.

There are jerks in every color, etc. Sure!

I guess what I mean to say is that you all will find in me a newer Christian. One who accepts the love of all regardless of what they claim to believe, and will deny the hate of all, regardless of what they claim to believe; and I will call them Christian that love, and evil that do not.

For it's not what someone -thinks- they are that matters, but what we receive from them (in honesty, not manipulation) that reveals the truth about them.

reply to post by TarzanBeta


Tarzan?! That's an awesome name, man. I honestly couldn't see myself being mean to anyone named Tarzan.

Sorry, about the post;

Seems there's a lesson in there, some people are total jerks regardless of preconceived notions.

Glad to hear you've got what sounds like a pretty solid start up with your business, keep at it!