The landlord gave us one extra week after my mother died

Dear Delyara, My mother and I lived in a rented flat for twelve years. When she died, I had to move because I could not afford the rent alone. The notice period ended three days after the funeral. I called the landlord expecting an argument and asked whether I could have one more week to clear her room. He was quiet, then said yes and waived that week’s rent. It was not an enormous act. One week. But it meant I did not have to decide what to do with my mother’s clothes while people were still sending funeral flowers. I had seven mornings to open drawers slowly, seven evenings to sit on her bed, seven days to let the flat become less like the place she lived and more like somewhere I could eventually leave. When I handed the keys back, the landlord said he was sorry again. I thanked him for the week. He looked surprised that it mattered so much. Sometimes kindness is not rescuing somebody. It is refusing to make the clock crueler than it already is.