So, for the last couple of months, I've been fighting with the City of Austin over the final electric/water/waste bill from my apartment. I had written a long post detailing the issue, but then I realized it was really boring. Suffice it to say that a bureaucratic error resulted in my account being active until December, when I explicitly cancelled, even though I moved out in June, my lease was up in July, and a new tenant started living there in August. I was owing to the tune of over $180, and every reason I came up with to explain how it was their mistake and not mine (there were at least 3 solid ones, but they're really boring) was met with a stone wall: "I'm sorry, but the policy is that you are liable."
In the end, it was settled not by me, not by the city, but by the new tenant, who asked to be back-billed to August 1st. That reduced the $180+ to about $4. This person didn't have to do this. As far as the city was concerned, their account started in December, and it was on me to cover everything to that point. Maybe that person realized that. Maybe they didn't. I have no way of knowing. But from where I stand, it looks like this person saw they were riding on my dime, and even though they had zero legal obligation to do so, would fix the situation and pay for their fair share. I'm a little bit awed by this. I don't know that I would have done the same thing, as much as I am impressed with myself and my sense of right and wrong. Having been a beneficiary of this, however, I know that, in the future, I will do the right thing. This kind of thing just gives me the warm fuzzies.
In theory, I'm still mad at the city about the snafus that led to this whole problem in the first place. But my fire is basically gone because of the actions of one good person. I still reserve the right to resurrect my indignation in the future, however.
If you thought that was boring, just imagine what the detailed version was like.