I think I have to give up on many things...

Let me sum up a brief history of myself...

I worked for a company called Teletech for seven (and a bit) years and was laid off when the company relocated to another city.

I made a good wage at Teletech, and with it, had a good lifestyle and managed (after becoming single for a long while) to improve my credit rating and managed to get a couple of credit cards. Being wise, I made sure EVERY one of them was insured...

During those seven years, life was very good... then it stopped.

I wasn't worried at the time... I was fully confident in my skills and my abilities to get right back on my feet. In fact, I had a couple of nagging medical issues finally resolved while I lived on my severance pay.

...then it ran dry...

No problem, I will be employed any time! My credit cards are insured! There's no worries!

Then EVERY one of the credit cards declined my insurance. The reason? The company I worked for was U.S. based and wasn't willing(?) able(?) whatever(?) to send the documents to them explaining my employment status.

No problem! I'd be re-employed soon! Heck, I turned down dozens of jobs to be loyal to my old company!

...then a year past...

...then I called a lawyer to discuss bankruptcy.

"Don't worry!", he said, "Until you're permanently re-employed, the credit card companies can't touch you! Once you get a job, considering your debts (under $7,000 Canadian), you can go through credit counciling or bankruptcy. Don't worry! You're untouchable!"

...and I didn't worry.

...and I am still a temp awaiting my company to hopefully hire me on full time...

...and then, today, this happened...

Some of you may have read my post of two days ago... where I discussed the "Working Poor" and the homeless woman in a car... and explained I was a "missed paycheque" from being homeless due to my rent being in arrears... and that I was up cuddling my stepling who couldn't sleep because of a toothache and trying to "budget" around and get her a dentist who might take post-dated cheques... and how, as I was cuddling her, I felt like a bag of dirt for not being able to provide for her?

Well, last night she woke up crying and calling for her mom and me... with the tooth... but I wasn't worried...

You see, I'd juggle my rent issues, and daycare bills, and get her to a dentist with this paycheque. With my wife losing her job on May 18th, her pays are needed to maintain what we have until she's now re-employed... but still, no problem.

...thanks to TD Visa "seizing" my assets, I have a problem.

Oh, I wasn't "served notice"... I didn't go to court... Heck, they didn't even leave me a message saying, "Dear Mr. Didier, we're taking everything you have... even though it's not much! Good luck living on nothing!"

Nope. They just took.

I'm sure I can fight it... I know I can... but by the time I do, would it help?

Would they give me back my money without a struggle?

Right now, I don't even have bus fare to get to work... nor groceries for next week... nor does my wife have bus fare... nor my family have groceries. That is up to me this week... next week, we'd TRY to combine my wife's second-last paycheque and my own to get everything... but I'm sure TD Visa doesn't care about my kids teeth or whether we eat or can work...

Better to bankrupt us completely, make us homeless, drive us from employment... That way they can have the immense satisfaction of saying, "Mr. Didier! You promised us money when you had it and now that you don't, we're taking it anyway! This is ALL YOUR FAULT!"

...in many ways, it is... I wish I didn't have the debt, but I honestly believed, in my heart-of-hearts that I would be employed and paying it down. I didn't run up my debts thinking, "Boy, I bet my company is going to lay me off shortly! I hope I become VERY poor again! Hee hee hee! Take that, Visa/Master Card/American Express!"

I ran them up as an upwardly moving person in what he THOUGHT was a secure job and a secure future...

...and now, I'm a crappy provider who will most likely be homeless who's starving his family and unable to care for them properly... But boy, TD Visa sure showed me, eh?

I'm sure there's someone quite proud that they "showed up that deadbeat!"

I'll let my kid know that this person is proud... while she asks me again why I still cannot afford the dentist.

Addendum: 3:41pm... I work with THE BEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD! Hearing of what happened, two temps who also get paid peanuts "leant" me $50.00 and a weeks worth of bus fare!

Also, I broke the news to my wife... who took it EXTREMELY WELL and said, "It's only $300.00... we'll be okay." and we're going to do what we can to make things happen. She's the best!

If I ever think otherwise, I'm the LUCKIEST man in the world...