Hello, New Paint

For several years, we watched the house next door deteriorate. The absentee owner let it run down and rented out the four bedrooms to half a dozen unrelated people. Apparently he gave a couple of them a deal: he would reduce their rent if they would paint the house.

Before they started, the house was grey. By the time they finished, it was mostly turquoise. They started in back, but ran out of paint by the time they reached the front. They left a large grey patch under the double window facing the street. We waited for them to complete the job. And waited. Several months passed. When I could stand it no longer, I sneaked into their yard and picked up a paint-spattered leaf. I found a can of spray paint at the hardware store that matched their turquoise close enough. Waiting until no one was home, Phil and I hurried over and spray-painted the grey patch. Later, we saw the tenants inspecting the newly- painted spot with puzzled looks on their faces.