THE SEQUEL
Him:
"Hi <My name> - thanks for the reply.
<His wife> has expressed some concerns over quality -
such as water remaining on the windows and the front door.
So - I agreed to give another reputable company a go, to see if she is happier with their result.
many thanks for the reliable service in the past. We have not yet made up our minds to change -
but feel that a healthy competition is a good thing for all.
Price is pretty much the same for both companies - so is not an issue.
both are legitimate companies with good insurance - so it will come down to a quality comparison.
regards <His name>
MY RESPONSE:
Dear <His name>
I just thought I would mention that water being left on the windows is the way that pure water pole systems work. The water is purified as you know and it's the way I've cleaned your windows from day one. I recall sending you a fairly lengthy email explaining this. The front door I clean manually as I don't want to soak your entranceway. I do feel that either yourself or <His wife> could have discussed this with me without the need to look elsewhere. If I were to clean again for you, it would feel a bit stressful as I would be concerned about making even slight errors. For me, one of the better things about window cleaning is the low level of stress. Therefore, I have no wish to compete with your new service and have decided to withdraw from the contest.
Regards,
<My name>
I quite liked your reply until the bolded part where you make yourself sound a bit like a crybaby!
That's a pity. I wasn't trying to present things that way. It was actually intended as a mild pee take without it being obvious. Not to worry. I clean windows rather than write letters.
My English tutor at evening class reckons that I'm good enough to be a published author if I fine tune things by joining a creative writing class. Once I've got through the next exam in June, that's what I wwill be going for. I reckon Gold should too. The man's clearly got talent.
. The way I write on here is nothing like the way I write short stories.
Seriously though, this woman has been teaching for many years, doesn't throw compliments out without a lot of thought and has top degrees in her field. She said something like
"Join a creative writing class (she may have said "group") and you will be a published author within a few years. You have a rare talent and I'm envious."
Now, I've always known that I can write to a fair standard. I even have autobiographical work stashed away that has never seen the light of day. I've had a fairly unusual, some would say debased, sort of life that has helped me to see the world from an unusual perspective; the fringes if you will. Writing has always been the thing that I might get around to one day if I'm too decrepit to clean windows. Once I have sat the exam in June, I will be approaching writing with both trepidation and excitement. I feel that my best years are still ahead of me - even at the age of fifty seven.