It’s Raining Again

Life turns on a dime. One moment, you are sailing along enjoying everything, even though everything might not be perfect. You’re thinking to yourself that, even though things may have been rough, they are now looking up a bit. You worked a little extra, got a little money set aside for Christmas; something that hasn’t happened in years. Then one wonderful day, as you finally, just barely, allow yourself to begin to believe that there might be hope for a brighter financial future for you and your family, you get an email.

Most emails are easily deleted, but ones from your bankruptcy attorney asking you to fork over $738, you don’t dismiss or delete. Turns out, the Trustee(Evil Incarnate) on my case has completed a review of my case and determined that I owe $738. Why? Due to the amount of money in my bank accounts on the day of my filing. The day, I might add, which was one day after my payroll check had direct deposited. Thank you Mr. BK Attorney for the notice. The problem I have with Evil Incarnate’s ruling is this: she knew about that money eight months ago. My meeting of creditors was in April; she knew about it then. Further, she told both me and my attorney eyes that taking my tax return would eliminate the need to collect against the money in my account on the day of filing. So, now, here we are, late September, and she’s telling me to remit $738, just like I have money stashed away somewhere. Are you fucking kidding me?

I live on a very tight budget. Any deviation from it takes me months to recover. This woman has absolutely no clue (she’s got her six figures so what’s my problem?) Nor does she have any sensitivity or compassion. She knows I’ve had cancer, she knows I’m trying to pay off those bills, she knows I have four children, two of whom are in college. She knows I’m a single mother trying to survive on a single income. She knew about the money months ago and has said nothing, until now, right before the holidays. While, everything she is doing is perfectly legal, how she is going about it is completely evil. I wish there were some sort of grievance process in cases like these. Basically, I pay up or bankruptcy doesn’t go through. My attorney spent hours, or so he’d like me to believe, trying to get her to agree to a payment plan. She would hear nothing of it. I am stressed out and scrambling to collect the money so she can close my case. I really want nothing more to do with this woman.  I personally believe she is evil incarnate.  She refused to write my daughter’s financial aid office a letter verifying that I am, indeed, going through bankruptcy.  This refusal cost my daughter $5000 in financial aid  and another term of school since my daughter had to sit another one out to work in order to raise money.  This woman is an unnecessary bitch.  I’m so ready to rid my life of her.  I’m perfectly okay with Karma enacting its due justice on her, however.

In the same week, my car decided it was going to pick a fit and it broke down. Transmission work plus some serious brake work totaling more than the BK Trustee asked for.

There goes my Christmas savings.

There goes a down payment on a newer used vehicle…something this family desperately needs.

I’m now feeding a family of four on $300 this month.  It’s going to be interesting and it is going to be challenging.

Quite frankly, I’m ready to be done with this sort of interesting and challenging as it has been my fare far too frequently over the last five years.