The landlord of my first apartment had been avoiding returning my security deposit for weeks. I was a polite 23-year-old but insistent about what I was owed — I think I may have implied a knowledge of real estate law and thrown in a “forthwith” or two. Unable to find a legitimate reason to just keep my money, he instead implied that the real problem was me, exaggeratedly wiggling his neck when he spat the word “attitude” like he was an extra on “Good Times.”
