Key West Real Estate Throwback No. 44

from February 14, 2018

Strange Love in Key West - A True Story

I always preference my little tales of Key West by telling my Dear Readers that the stories are true as opposed to stuff that comes out of Washington and reality television. You can't make up the truth, and, sometimes, the truth hurts.

A few years ago on the week before Christmas, I was setting up a listing of my office to host a Saturday afternoon open house. I turned on the lights and opened the door to the pool at the rear. I placed my open house signs out in front and prepared to talk to passersby.

I had been sitting on the cute-as-can-be front porch when I noticed the neighbor was hanging Christmas lights on his two story duplex home next door to the east. I walked out to the sidewalk and started a conversation. I looked up and saw what I assumed was his wife on the second floor front porch. They kept doing their respective decorating as he told me about the joys of this Old Town location.

He told me something I had not heard before. He said he lived on the first floor of this home and his wife lived on the second. I thought the arrangement odd. It was not until three years ago that I found another couple who also lived in a two story house who shared their spaces the exact same way.  I know a lot of folks who live together no long share their bedrooms, but living in separate floors was rather odd even for Key West.

All of a sudden and without notice the wife dropped the hammer from her hand. The law of gravity set in.  It fell. And landed on her husband's head.   He screamed. I instantly appreciated why they lived in separate parts of the house.

Now there can be two theories as to what happened either of which is plausible. One is the wife dropping the hammer was totally accidental. I as a witness could testify to that in court. I could have told a judge and jury she was totally innocent.  On the other hand, I could testify she waited until I distracted him from what he was doing and then she dropped the hammer squarely on his head.

I have told friends this story for years. I don't really know her intent.  But I thought it very strange what happened occurred while I was there to watch it. Who knows?

Update:  I repeated this tale yesterday during an office meeting. My broker has the perfect two story duplex for a couple who get along to live near each other but not with each other. The good thing is it does not have a second floor front porch. The bad thing is it has one in the rear.