Get the Details Right

M got a second job!!! Oh, don’t get too excited yet though. As I have come to expect from M, she did not get a sensible evening shift job where she would make tips or be off at a reasonable time. No, M got a job working graveyards at a gas station. 10pm until 6am. This might be fine on say, a Friday or Saturday night. Unfortunately, that is not when M will be working. She will be working during the week, which means that she will get up at 6am to go to work for 8am and then she will get home from work at 5pm and go to work at 10pm then get off work at 6am and go to work for 8am and finally get off work at 5pm only to collapse when she gets home. That is 36 hours without any sleep (or very little at the least). This task would be difficult for a regular human being so I can’t even fathom how M expects to do this.

In other news, S (the love of her life) has unfriended her on Facebook. Ohhh, burn! That’s gonna leave a mark. She sent him an e-mail to express her hurt:

“So by unfriending me on facebook that means you don't want to be my friend in 'real life' either? All because of a stupid car? It's not the ideal solution for me, I know, but I thought about it and whatever, I've made my decision. I appreciate that my friends, including you, told me their opinions but in all honesty, I am stubborn and once I've made up my mind, it usually sticks.

Anyway, I'm not regretting the decision to buy the car. Could it be a mistake to do this? Possibly, as you all said. I know that. I've made more than a few bad decisions in recent memory. And if it does all go horribly wrong, well then everyone can say "I told you so" and I'll say "you were right". But it won't go wrong; I am going to make those payments, pay it off early ideally, and all is well. Yeah I'm more in debt but a shitbox that constantly needs repairs would keep me there, too. I'm choosing the road not taken this time with an anti-shitbox...

Plus no one's even asked me in person about my loan details or repayment term or the fact that a second job only 2 nights a week will pay for the car payment AND my insurance... I happen to have got a 3 year term instead of 5, so less interest, etc etc... doesn't matter. Some say I won't be able to pay my other bills, like rent, which is bullshit because I have never been late or missed rent and never will. It's no one's business anyway but they can at least get the details right for the gossip.

You probably won't reply to this message anyway, if you really want me out of your life that badly. Which hurts, by the way. And I don't think it's all about this car thing. You've been strange to me for a few weeks... maybe you've just been busy but we haven't hung out at all in like a month. I got the feeling you were avoiding me. So whatever I have done to make you angry at me, please tell me TO MY FACE instead of just ignoring me and unfriending me on fuckin' Facebook, of all places... Go ahead and yell at me or punch me in the face if you have to and tell me why you're mad instead of just shutting me out.

You should know there was a time when I thought you were my only real friend in the whole world. Guess you don't really care after all. Which is too bad, because I think I've been a pretty good friend to you. Call me when you remember that.

- M”


There are a few things in M’s e-mail that I would like to note.

1. “But it won't go wrong; I am going to make those payments, pay it off early ideally, and all is well.” - This sounds promising! At least she is upbeat about it!

2. Even SHE calls her old car a Shitbox! See, I’m not being mean.

3. Unfriending on facebook is a little dramatic, I agree, but you have to understand that her status is constantly being updated with little tidbits about her dire and depressing financial situation. It gets tiring!

4. Doing the math, M’s loan will end up costing her anywhere between 15,000 and 18,000 dollars. The loan was only for 8,000! Great idea.

5. No, she has never been late on rent. That doesn’t mean there was never a close call though! Even when she didn’t have an additional 15 grand to pay back to the bank, she would still spend the night before rent was due on the phone, in tears, begging family and friends for help paying this months rent (but just until she gets her paycheque!).

In all honesty, there is a chance that she can do this. I am not in a mad panic to move out because I know she has at least 2 grand left on her loan, so she will be able to pay the next few months rent at the least. Eventually though, maybe not this month, or this year, but eventually, she will fall HARD. The debt is piling up somethin’ fierce and it shows no signs of slowing.