Lend Me Not

9^th June 2015

Dear Cassi,

I think I’ve told you of the fellow Turtle Nose called Mr. Potato Head, and now that I think of it it’s just easier to call this fellow Spud. In middle school Spud had been my longest standing friend. I’d known him at least from second grade on making it then six years by the end of middle school.

I had known a few folks longer but had little relation with them. It did take me a few years to remember this fellow’s name, but then I had little ability to remember names and faces back then. My life was a burning blur of pain with little substance.

Now Spud was an irresponsible fellow who was always borrowing money. Then one day I told him no. It had been little more than a dollar a day, or something there about, but when it came clear that he would just never pay me back I was done lending. He was furious.

He insulted me, he heckled me, he complained to his friends. It made no difference to me as I was sick of him owing and never paying. We figured some time that by my freshman year in high school the fellow owed me about two thousand dollars. He never paid and frankly never stopped asking for something.

I think he was the first of the dead beats I had to remove from my life. I haven’t spoken to this fellow in fifteen years. Well, good riddance.

Take out the trash, little sister,

        

Richard Leland Neal