"Project Bitch" Redux

This evening I went to take a gander at an Ikea wardrobe (the piece of furniture) listed on craigslist that I was interested in buying. I misremembered the address and ended up in the projects. In addition to the riffraff that are said to live in such housing developments, there are supposed to be some entirely wholesome people. I had spoken to the seller, a one Ms. Cristina, on the phone earlier because I was of course running late. She sounded wholesome enough. But as I approached her project building, I surprised myself with a newfound disinterest in this highly sought-after item at a bargain basement price. Is a wardrobe a lesser wardrobe just because it lives in subsidized housing?

I hemmed & hawed and even considered bailing at the last minute. I had to remind myself that she was someone I felt comfortable doing business with--her ad on craigslist was grammatically correct, after all (though her email to me was not), and a lot of the stuff she was selling was right up my alley. Plus, it isn't often that I am granted entry to such buildings, so I figured I should take advantage of the opportunity to see what they're like on the inside (I've heard they can be pretty sweet).

Before crossing the threshold from the sidewalk to the grounds of the development, I double-checked the address in my datebook. I was one block off. Relief never felt so sweet. I high-tailed it a block north, seized once again with desire for this elusive Ikea wardrobe.

While it's the fool who thinks that the projects are completely safe or completely dangerous, it's the jerk who devalues something just because it comes from there.