Settling Scores

About a week ago I received a bonus check from my company. During the 6-week period where most of us lived at the office well past the requisite 5:30 p.m. end time and on weekends, both stress and productivity were high.

I got used to being at work all the time, and started to feel weird when I left work at the end of a long day, knowing I was leaving something undone. I guess people in power noticed, and understand the value of morale.

I didn't expect to be compensated, though. I just wanted to be honourable for once.

The night before I received news of the bonus, I started to pray for direction about my finances--how to best use them to get out of debt and to be a better steward over them, in general. I even remember telling God that If I could just get a leg up, a head start, I would make every effort to be responsible. It didn't take me long to connect the dots between my prayer and the good news.

I prayed for guidance about how to specifically use the money--I knew I couldn't just fritter it away; I wanted to make a statement back to God after his faithfulness to me that said "thank you."

Several years ago my mother, with my permission, used a credit card I had. The limit was laughable, but it was enough. I had just been given this card out of college, and used it to buy a stereo. I gave my mom cash, asking her to handle paying the bill (I didn't have a checking account at the time).

I left the card in her possession because I had an inherent fear of plastic, and the way it owned so many people. I didn't want her to use my card either, but when the tires on her car blew out, and other emergencies came up, and she asked me if she could use it, how could I refuse her? She promised that she would pay for these things herself, and that I would not be troubled by the expenses or the bills.

My mom and dad began to fall on truly hard times, and that debt just sat there collecting interest. My mom did do her best to field calls from collectors, and she would pay the minimum amount toward that debt when she could, but she also had cards of her own. My stepdad eventually became sick enough that he had to stop working altogether.

My mother filed for bankruptcy, and assured me that she put the card with my name on it (because she was an authorized user) on the file with all the other bills she couldn't pay. It wasn't ideal, but it was taken care of. Supposedly.

Well creditors don't ever rest. The owners of the debt eventually found me, and long story short, send me a letter once a month offering me a settlement amount that is about half of what was actually owed on the account.

I talked to my mom about it, and she thinks that they can't really do anything to me because she filed that claim with the others. I talked to them and told them the situation. They don't agree that this debt has been expunged.

So for the better part of two years, I've been ignoring their monthly missive (still telling my mom she needs to settle this account because it is my name on the line). But when I got home last night, after work, and saw the address I know too well now, I knew in my heart the intended purpose of the bonus (there were so many equally excellent uses).

I wrote them a check and put it in the mailbox last night.

Thank you God, for the leg up.