How to Be a Deadbeat

Here is a funny story.  On September 21, 2010, our basement was flooded.  There were at least 2 inches of water on our storage room floor, the carpeting was soaked, things got ruined, it was awful.  We had more water coming in than we knew what to do with.   Now fast forward to September 21, 2011.  I got home around 3 in afternoon to find a bright orange notice stuck on our door,  informing us that our water had been turned OFF. No phone call. No warning. Just off.   Isn't that funny? Too much water one year, none at all the next.   But really,  how could the city do that to us? There are children living here! Of course I was outraged.! Until the lady at the utility department tersely informed  me that our bill had not been paid since July 11. Seriously?   Two months? What kind of people don't pay their bills for two months?

Deadbeats. that's who.   After standing in line at the end of the day with all the other folks whose water got turned off,  I can tell you it is deadbeats who don't pay their bills.  And now I am one. In my defense,  I did pay SOME of the bills.  I paid the TV bill and the internet bill, but only because when you don't pay them, a big ugly sign flashes up on whichever screen you happen to be staring at, letting you know that you better pay up or else. (Deadbeat. That's me.)

And it doesn't end there.  Before I could figure out how I was going to pay the water bill, I just happened to notice a letter from our insurance company, telling me that if I didn't pay my insurance premium in the next 9 hours, they were going to cancel my auto insurance. Hmmm. I began to sense a pattern here.

I had to jump in the  car and drive clear across town to dip into a savings account we have in Bountiful,  then race back to the Syracuse utility department before 5 pm so that we would not be without water all night long.   Dan had to leave his job and sprint a check over to our insurance agent to prevent us from becoming uninsured motorists as of 12:01 am on September 22.  Being a deadbeat is exhausting.  I can see why they look the way they do.

The water was back on before I got home.  I think we are still insured. I have vowed to not be a deadbeat anymore.  It's hard work.