My Dear Cousin - Utilities

21st June 2021

My Dear Cousin,

The day after my brother left I lost my job. I was having trouble staying awake because of my injury and to be honest my boss wanted me gone to limit liability. The injury had happened at work.

This was the height of the pandemic and the unemployment benefits were good money. I took the time I spent sheltering in place cleaning the house with nothing better to do trying to make the place better for  (Pickle) and me. I thought (Pickle) would come home. I was even using headphones when on the computer.

I went out and replaced his punching bag with a larger one. Years ago, my old man had gone out and gotten a punching bag stand fit for a professional boxer but a punching bag made for a child. It shook the roof when we used that bag.  I got the biggest bag I could find and it meant that Paul or I could take out our anger on the bag next time things came up.

I was even going to install padded flooring in the garage where we keep the bag. The house was all cleaned up and I was feeling rather good about the whole thing when I got a notification letting me know that the utilities  (Pickle) had been paying were now being shut off.

That’s right, without warning my internet stopped and I found out that the water was getting shut off. I had to scramble to get things right before I found myself without something major and I lost the phone number I had for thirty years.

This pushed me into a great depression. I finally had to admit that family was over for me. I mean, to be honest I don’t miss the man. I have nightmares about him coming home. I was always afraid of him coming after me in my sleep anyway.

One of the great facts of life is that no one is coming to save you. Well, no one ever came to save me. The Lawsuit is still pending and my life is much as it always has been.

Stay safe,

 

Richard Leland Neal