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| Category: General Experiences |
Date published: June 6, 2006 |
 It was back in those sticky-chicken poor days when we purchased the empty lot on a payment plan. A dream in the making, the lot was in the suburbs, in subdivision of new homes, and away from the inner city. The time came to build, but lo, we lacked the money for closing costs. The dream of owning our own home would have to wait.
Two years passed. We continued to make payments on the empty lot, and the day came when we gave up on the dream of building, the cost beyond our reach. We placed the lot on the market, but it wouldn't sell. An opportunity of a lifetime rolled around. A new government plan that permitted lower income couples with large families to purchase a home for $200.00 down, and no closing costs.
Five years later and child number five we finally sold that lot. For the first time in our lives we had money in the bank.
It was time to place our house on the market and find a better one in the suburbs. My husband and I began the search for a new house and soon we found it. The lot was large, as well as the house. It had a sunken family room, spacious, with large windows. I was so excited. We put an offer on it, contingent upon selling our own home. The offer was accepted, and within weeks, we had an offer on our own house, contingent upon the sale of their house. Oh, how I hate those contingencies.
The woman called me often, asking if she and her husband could come by to measure this or that. She seemed as excited about our house as we were about the one we had found. I talked with her often of that house, told her of the sunken family room, the large lot, the bright kitchen, etc. What I didn't know was, my description of my dream house was making the one she planned to purchase (our house) look pretty shabby. One day, it happened, she asked to get out of the contract. If you've been reading my STUFF, you know how I answered.
No new offers were forthcoming on our house, and the contract on the one we hoped to purchase expired. This newfound friend of mine continued to call me from time to time. She called me up excited one day. She had received an offer on her own small house and was making an offer on another. Oh, yes, and can you guess which house it was? MY house, my DREAMHOUSE ... the one with the large lot and sunken family room. Just one problem, she needed a $1,000 good faith deposit, she had only $500. Would I loan her the money? Three weeks only and then the money would be returned to me, just as soon as the closing was complete on the little house she was selling.
I had that money in the bank from selling the lot. I'm a Christian. How could I turn down a friend when I had the means to help? NO! I'm a FOOL! This FRIEND was really a STRANGER. No way would my husband approve. It's only for three weeks, I told myself. The money would be back in the bank before my husband ever knew the difference. I said, "OK."
I went to the bank, like a thief in the night, and withdrew $500. I handed the money over to my newfound friend, the one who was about to purchase MY house, and "I" was the one helping her to do it. You don't get any more FOOL than that. However, I WAS smart enough to have her sign a paper, saying she owed me the money, and the terms of repayment, in three weeks.
In the days and weeks that followed, my conscious pricked. I couldn't sleep. What if she failed to pay it back? My husband would KILL me. Up until the time we sold this lot, my husband and I hadn't had two nickels to rub together, and I had, without his knowledge, handed this woman a WHOLE LOT of nickels. My husband knew something was wrong. He suspected I was having an affair.
And then it came, the letter in the mail. We were being sued for $10,000. The persons, who'd purchased the lot from us, did so contingent upon a successful perk test, and had received one, but when they came to build some months later, the lot wouldn't perk. They now wanted their money back, plus lawyer fees and court costs. The letter further advised that we contact a lawyer. We were to respond to their letter within ten days or judgement would go to the purchaser. I broke into hysterical laughter. Has that ever happened to you? But, I tell you what; that letter had suddenly turned that $500 into "No big deal."
That night I showed my husband the letter, and also came clean about the $500. Instead of being angry with me, he was relieved to know I wasn't having an affair. And besides, what was $500 in light of $10,000?
Within the week, my newfound friend returned the money, and was getting ready to close on her, no, on MY, dream house. I told her of the lawsuit.
"I have a cousin who is married to a lawyer," she said. "He has a big office in downtown Milwaukee. My cousin is a registered nurse and they are good Catholics." She gave me the guy's number. Never in our life had we retained a lawyer. We didn't even know of one, they didn't exactly hang around in our neck of the woods.
My husband and I retained this lawyer, and guess what his retainer fee was? Yup, you got it, $500. The lawyer said the case looked good for us because the people had obtained a successful perk test upon purchase.
Months passed. We heard no word as to the status of the lawsuit. I called his office.
"I'm sorry, but Attorney Creepy-Face is no longer with us. He ran off with the retainers from clients, left his wife and children, and has been disbarred by the Lawyers Association.
"Well, now," I thought, "isn't that just like our luck? Gum always seems to find the bottom of our shoes"
We never did hear another word about that lawsuit. It may be pending still for all we know, but it's been well over thirty years now. Eventually, our own house sold and we purchased another, one much better than the one we'd lost.
I disrespected my husband by loaning that woman that money without his knowledge, but he would have said "NO!" And so I gambled, was a BAD girl, did what I thought was the CHRISTIAN thing to do. Thankfully, things turned out well.
I may be a fool, but at least, I've never had an affair. It seems that $500 was destined to be lost. Ain't life grand?
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In My Own Words: Out-of-the-Ordinary Experiences
