The Flip that Flopped

     A few years back I’d tried to flip a house for profit. I tore out orange and green shag carpet and repainted faded walls to transform an eyesore into an invitation.     
     But the market was sluggish. The only serious buyer asked for money towards closing costs, a home warranty, and a backyard fence. So in order to move that property, I gave in. And what did I get? Nothing but a cheap plastic pen from the title company that I was using to scribble my name at closing.     
     The buyer, a young woman, sat across the table. “I have an eight-year-old daughter,” she whispered. "You understand how important a fence is.” “Uh-huh.” I clutched the pen as I hunched over the pile of papers. “I finally got out of debt, and here I am going back in again,” she said, staring off into space. I glanced at her hand. No wedding band. “But it’s a good debt,” I said quietly. “We had to move,” she continued. “A guy in our neighborhood was threatening us with a gun.” I swallowed hard.            
      We finished signing papers, shook hands, and I walked to the parking lot and sat alone in my car. Maybe this wasn’t such a sour deal after all. Maybe it had gone just as it should have.
​     Because sometimes someone else’s gain will cost me. Is that really a problem?