Reverse Discrimination

Yes it really happens! Never in my life have I encountered discrimination...Well that's not completely true I have been judged by qualities that are beyond my control but this was out right discrimination and I was witness to it.

Recently my friend became an empty nester. She' s loving it and after being with out her last child for several months now she has decided to down size her life and her living quarters. Significantly down size.
Which of course means I have spent the last week viewing small apartments with her. I don't mind, we have the same taste in homes so it gives me a chance to view some funky apartments in some quaint downtown heritage buildings. I would love to live in a funky apartment so I've had fun with this. Her criteria is simple. Small, cheap and not disgusting. Simple enough you say. WRONG.

The other night we walked up to apartment 102 in a beautiful stone heritage building. Like any city everyone knows the building is a less than desirable spot. Sad because the architecture is awesome in this building. The manager of another building, which had a nice studio suite for rent lived at 102. Apparently this manager manages both.

We had come directly from our top secret work place. We were dressed in professional clothes. Most landlords would be impressed with our attire and earning capacity.
Slumlords not so much.

We knock on the door and an older lady answers. My friend greets her and tells her why we're there. She asks us to wait and closes the apartment door. We wait, in the hall, for what seemed like twenty minutes. It might have only been ten. Still a long time. We did have an appointment and arrived on time.
The reason for the delay became clear when she invited us in.
Her first comment was "You are from New York? You must be with that outfit."
What the Hell does that mean?
My friend tells her no she is not from New York.
"Where do you move from?" She asks, her accent is thick but her meaning is coming in loud and clear. She's telling us people here don't dress like us.
I'm wondering when the last time she left her apartment was.
My friend tells her she has lived in our fair city for seven years.
The manager makes a dismissive sound and directs us to sit opposite her at the desk. She hands my friend a notebook and tells her to write her name.
Odd.
Then she turns to me and says" I don't recognize her but I've seen you before. Where do you work?"
I tell her because I think I have seen her as well.
Then she turns to my friend and says, " You do not want to see apartment, it is not for you. You want to live in a house."
My friend explains that her children have grown and she just wants a small apartment now.
The Manager tells my friend that the clothes she wears mean she should live in a house not the small apartment and that we would not want to look at it.
My friend asks if the manager is refusing to show the apartment to us.
No of course not but really she doesn't want the apartment it's too small.
I was dumb founded!
There are very few occasions where I am speechless but this was one of them.
Who ever heard of someone being too employed, too well groomed and too responsible to rent an apartment.
And just for clarification. The apartment building is old and small but in no way is it a ghetto. There was no reason.

The world is crazy!