Be fucking careful of who you owe a favor too.
They say it never hurts to help. But those people never seem to understand or feel the pain of having to have to say no.
Here is the situation I am in.
On my mother's side, those assholes who shunned me for being poor, and did not invite me to the wedding.
It seems that my maternal grandmother's family are calling in a favor from me, for some help they gave me years ago.
What Happened:
Halloween, '03.
I was on my way home from Gulf Breeze, FL, the construction job was slowing down on the hotel, because the company was rushing through the build to not be caught by winter on the coast.
My truck was chugging along, it was around five-thirty, when the engine died mid drive. Just fucking died, so fortunately traffic was very light as the tourist season was over, and the drive was nice.
I coasted it to a gas station where I called my mom and dad.
"Dad, the fucking truck died, mid drive."
"Well that's not good."
"No shit."
"Writer."
"Sorry."
"Where are you?"
"Two miles from the 3 mile bridge."
"Fuck!"
"Can you spare a moment to come get this thing moving."
"Son, I don't think I can. Did it make any noises?"
"*Describes the engine noises*"
"I am sorry to tell you this, but it's down for the count."
"Wife is about to get off work to pick up Princess 1"
"Look, don't worry about the kid, your mother is having a blast, and your sisters are helping out."
"So what am I supposed to do?"
"You are a man, figure it out."
"Dad, honestly and with all due respect, Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."
"Writer, I cant hold your hand through life anymore."
"Is that Writer?"
"Yeah, he's stuck like chuck in mid fuck, in Gulf Breeze."
"Why?"
"Critical Mission Failure of the engine."
"Oh, my."
"Son, do you have any money?"
"No, spent my last bit of money on Pampers and Bottle liners."
"Up shits creek without a paddle and a leak, huh?"
"Yes sir."
"Let me get off here, Writer, your mom wants to make some calls."
"Thanks dad."
"Hey, I never told you life was going to be easy."
"True."
"Bye, Writer. Call if anything changes."
"Yeah"
-click-
I fished out some change I kept in the ash tray, the cleanest part of the truck, as I never used it. Had enough for a drink. I walked in and grabbed a Grapico, preparing for the walk home, and subsequent call to work, to beg for a lift.
I did not feel like it. It would be a long walk over the bridge, and through Pensacola proper to get to the apartment. I figured I would be home before midnight. But then again, I could not leave the truck. It had my tools, and snack stash, and other things I used on the day to day.
I sat in my truck, smoked and downed my grape soda, and an hour later, a tow truck pulled up.
Out of the cab, steps a man who must have been the living embodiment of all New York stereotypes.
"Ey, yous Writer?"
"Yeah."
"Today's your lucky day. We's takin it to the all night garage."
"Cool."
"Get in."
He hooked my truck as I sat in the cab trying to math out the force needed to squeeze blood from a turnip. I mean we were tight on money this month, as wife was nearing her due date for our third kid. So her work schedule and class schedule was very light, and that means less hours, and you know what that means. I doubt anyone is so far well off to not know the feel of a tight budget month.
We talked sports, and family life, and I found an ally in the war of survival against pregnant wives, when an all too familiar sign came into view. The sun was setting, but that shop, the garage that had its own scrapyard. I kind of wanted to jump out and run.
My father in law's shop. Almost open 24 hours, his rule was if you need it fast, he would stay open as late as it took. But he would go home at 11pm, as one of his mechanics itching for hours would finish up.
We stop, and the truck is unhooked at the bay door.
"How much do I owe you?"
"Nuthin."
"Huh?"
"Paid in full."
"Thanks for the ride."
"No's Problems."
And with that, he left. And then I heard from the waiting room a familiar cry. Princess 2 was hungry. My wife came out of her daddy's shop, madder than a wet hen before church. I helped her dad push my truck into the garage. I fed the princess, while he looked over the engine.
"Piston lock."
"Da fuck?"
"Yeah, shit froze up mid go, usually means that the rods are slung. Wont know until I open the headers."
"How much will that cost me?"
"Nothing. I got whole engine blocks for this truck, just treat me and your mother in law to dinner one night."
"Deal."
I used the office phone to call my mom, and she told me exactly how she managed to get a tow truck to me. She called her mom's family, and found the one who was willing to help. But for that help, Me personally would owe them a favor to be collected at a later date. A literal deal with the devil, so to speak.
Wife drove the girls home, and her dad loaned me the cavalier, which too was on its last of legs.
The next day.
It turned out that the engine was all fouled up, beyond any worth in saving. So he said he would drop an okay condition engine in, but I would seriously need to save for something better to drive.
I mean, I understood that I was taking a bite out of his profits already, so asking for the best of engines was out of the question.
But I had a gnawing suspicion that all of this would come back to bite me in the ass.
-------------
It did. Friday night, and last night.
So I get a call while I was settling in for the night of anime with the wife, when she called.
This woman would be called miserly, if she actually played fair with money or favors. She collected favors like people collect stamps.
She had a leather bound book, each family member had a page. She would do favors, or give money, and note it. It is in her will that everyone has to settle their debts with her and her estate before anyone can collect a single thing.
Her steward called me.
Apparently, one of her apartment complexes, lived a problem.
Two drug addicts had died of overdoses. A sad reality of which we all live in. But there was a middle school girl, who lived with the manager, as she took the child in. However, by the end of the year, a new manager will be taking over, as the woman's actual children want to move her in with them in Key West.
My great aunt has custody of the child, while DCF is trying to find any relatives the girl can live with, but its not looking good. She doesn't want to put the kid in foster care, because she knows how bad the orphanages are where she is at. And it is most likely that she will not be placed based on her age.
Oh boy here it comes.
So the steward comes out with it. She wants me to raise the girl as my own, to clear the entire page of mine of debt. All the loans, all the favors, clean slate.
Honestly, it is a tempting deal, as I owe the old woman over ten grand alone. But my problem is...
I already have a house full of people who I am helping out.
I have two empty bedrooms, on is going to be a bedroom for the new Princess, when she is older.
The other room was supposed to be a guest room, but ended up a catch all room.
Wife and I talked about it, she had valid points, my Great Aunt had valid points, and my concerns were valid, but then again.
I am a fucking god damned bleeding heart teddy bear. The thought of a child being ping ponged around, not staying long enough to feel the warmth of family hurts.
So I called a friend last night to have a sign made. "Writers Home for Wayward Girls." We are going to take her in after we get to know her a bit. Great Aunt is coming down for the holidays anyways, so she will be in town at her vacation home with the girl. Today after church, we all will be going to her vacation home to meet and spend time with the girl.
Now here is the family woe's
Everyone and their sister wants to take her in, to get the same deal. There are others in the family who owe the woman a bigger chunk than I do. But the old woman is stubborn, if nothing else, she had her heart set on me doing it, and I doubt she would change her mind on the dime.
I am getting a really bad feeling from this, because knowing them, some shit is bound to happen.
It seems that I am the only one who actually cares about the girl's wellbeing, and not to clear a debt. Is it really wrong to not be a greedy fuck, because I can easily write a 10k check and hand it to her, but its not all money that I owe her.
She, despite being the female version, gender swapped Scrooge, she came through for us, like helping us get into apartments, getting utilities turned on, and even cosigning the mortgage on my home. So my debt is more of a debt of pride, than money.
I dunno. Any thoughts?