30/06/2023
Tonight was THE night I realised why I do what I do.
I was asked if I would clean a mouldy ceiling in an apartment of an elderly man who has no wifi or mobile phone. The agent had to hand deliver a letter saying I would be there Friday at around 3pm. I don’t work Fridays but on this occasion I said yes.
I was there at 2.45pm and he lived upstairs. I knocked on the locked fly screen door. Step ladder and cleaning materials in hand. Almost dreading what I was going to walk into. As I walked in he asked if it was ok for him to lock the doors for security. I felt nervous but I thought “ok”.
The ceiling wasn’t actually mouldy just very dated. It really just needed a paint. But I was there to do a job and of course I was going to do it.
I cleaned every inch of that ceiling as he watched me. He kept asking what a certain noise was and I had to admit it was my weight on my not so sturdy step ladder. He had no hot water, no gas. A cooker, but no gas. I admitted it would help if there was hot water and he agreed so he took out a portable gas cooker with canister and put a paint tin of hot water on to boil. He insisted on pouring into the sink for me.
He told me about his life and we laughed and chuckled and after initially feeling a bit nervous I realised this man was lonely. I said this isn’t too mouldy but just very dated and I called the agent in front of him and explained I would do all I can but his apartment (after living there for 21 years) just needed a paint.
As I was finishing he reached into his armpit and pulled out $20. He asked me to take it and I said I really didn’t want it and it was my pleasure. He insisted and I burst into tears. He asked me to get myself a bottle of wine and that he would tell the agent he knew I did everything I could. I literally cried the whole car ride home.
As I left I reached for his hand, gave him a kiss on the cheek and said it was a pleasure to meet him, clean his ceiling and I asked if it would be ok for me to pop in if I ever drove past.
There is so much more I can add. How he has lived there for so long and his rent keeps increasing but he literally has no means of cooking or heating water.
I just couldn’t believe my luck today at being able to help someone and it wasn’t really the cleaning. It was the company.
As I left, he put the lightbulb back in, turned it on and said “I can’t believe I can look up and it’s not as black as coal”. My heart skipped a beat.
If you know anyone elderly please check in on them. They deserve the company and love and attention ❤️
These were the before pics!
