We all need a little help sometimes when it comes to getting by, and I've opened up my house a few times to people in need of a place to stay, for periods ranging from a day or two to a couple weeks. Last year, I put up one such individual, named Vincent. Vincent showed up at the KH one evening in March, looking a little rough, cleary not a Witness, but able to quote the New World Translation with an incredible accuracy. It turns out Vincent has what I might term a phonographic memory, in that he is able to remember and mimic things he hears with surprising precision. He had studied with Witnesses before and had been through some rough times, and now he was looking for a little help.
That evening, as was my custom, I was one of the last people to leave the Hall. I could see that no one had offered him any assistance, so I talked to him for a few minutes and made the judgement call to have him over. I'll admit the I was a bit worried going to sleep that night, but I really don't own anything very precious, and I thought I could take care of myself physically. Well, the next morning, I'm standing in my bathroom, brushing my teeth, when I gradually become aware that the sink is glisteningly clean. It turns out that Vincent had gotten up ahead of me and begun cleaning, trying to earn his keep.
Vincent was a star housemate. Very clean, very tidy. He was constantly looking for things to do around the house to show his gratefulness for the place to stay. He even painted my window frames, something that had been on my mind for months. He stayed for a couple weeks and the last I saw of him was when I put him on a bus for his hometown.
Imagine my surprise when Vincent showed up at my house last week! The particulars of why he is here in Seattle again are unimportant, but suffice it to say that he was in need of a place to stay again. This time, having no roommates, I had a whole room just going to waste, so it worked out well. Vincent has taken up his habit of cleaning again, unleashing his formidable dirt-busting skills on every nook and cranny of my house. The guy washed and detailed my car in below-freezing weather yesterday. There were literally frozen pools of water under the newly immaculate car. And I was delighted to find a stack of neatly folded laundry on my bed the other day.
So I'm sitting in my living room today, reading, and I hear Vincent in the kitchen, scrubbing away at something or another. I look up and call, "Geez, Vince, you don't stop, do you? I really appreciate all the help cleaning. You're doing a great job." To that, Vincent's face pops around the corner and says very seriously,
"Necessity is laid upon me. Really, woe is me if I did not clean."
I think that was one of the heartiest laughs I've had via scripture in some time.
SNG