Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Posted in
Life
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I had a very odd experience recently. I moved during the month of March, and I did it in three stages -- i.e., the mover came on three separate days over a period of a month to get all my stuff moved out. It worked out, since the mover had a small truck, and since doing the whole thing at once would have been overwhelming to me.
One day during this process I was at the local delicatessen telling the owner, named Nancy, that I had two extra sets of mattresses that I didn't need, and I wished I could get rid of them. I explained to her that there is a surplus of second-hand mattresses in the area, and that even the charitable organizations weren't accepting them any more. Nancy said that it shouldn't be so hard to get rid of them, and she turned to a young woman who had just bought some food and asked, "Pauline, could you use a double-bed mattress set?" Much to our surprise, Pauline said "yes". I found out later that Pauline and her boyfriend were sleeping on two single beds, and they wanted a double-bed mattress very badly. I told Pauline that the mattress had gotten very little use, but that it had sustained some cosmetic damage to the box spring during two previous moves. I suggested that she discuss it with her boyfriend and then call me later if they decided they wanted it.
Well, Pauline didn't call, so I assumed they weren't interested. But then I was in Nancy's deli a few days later, and Nancy told me that Pauline did want the mattress. While talking to Nancy, I found out that Pauline lived just three blocks from my house.
A couple days later I ran into Pauline, and I told her that she really should look at the mattress to be certain that she wanted it. I asked her if she'd be home that evening, and she said yes. I said I'd be home also and that she should come by to take a look at it. Well, Pauline never showed up. But then a few days later, I once again learned from Nancy that Pauline still wanted the mattress.
The next time I saw Pauline, I told her that if she really wanted the mattress, she'd have to come and get it, and she said she couldn't do that. I suggested that her boyfriend carry it over with the help of a friend, and she said they didn't have any friends. It seemed improbable to me that after two years of living in the neighborhood, they had no friends, but that's what she said. I then suggested that she and her boyfriend come over and carry the mattress set home themselves, but she said she couldn't do that because she had a baby to take care of.
Pauline knew that I was moving, and the only solution she would accept was for me to have my mover deliver the mattress to her. That meant that I would have to pay the mover to do that, which was something I didn't feel I should have to do (since she was getting the mattress for free). I asked Pauline if she would pay for the time it took the mover to bring the mattress to her, and she said no. Well, you can probably guess what happened: I ended up paying my mover to bring the mattress set to her. And ever since then I have been filled with puzzlement about what kind of people these were who wouldn't lift a finger to help themselves.
Addendum: From frequenting Nancy's deli, I found out some things about Pauline. She would occasionally come into the deli with bruises on her face, so Nancy assumed that her boyfriend was beating her. Certainly that evokes some sympathy for Pauline, but it still doesn't explain why she was so helpless (I say "was" because she has since moved out of the area). I was told that Pauline had run-ins with the police (although I wasn't given the details). I heard that Pauline took a job at a local restaurant and was performing so poorly that they nearly fired her on a couple occasions. Pauline's plan -- according to someone who knew her -- was to work there just long enough to qualify for unemployment insurance, and then to get herself fired so she could collect benefits.
But the worst thing Pauline did was she ran up a $66 tab at Nancy's deli and then refused to pay it. When it came time to start making payments, Pauline claimed that Nancy and her husband had padded the tab, and she stormed out without paying them a single cent. But I know Nancy and her husband, and they would never do something like that. Pauline, it seems, was just one of those people who felt that the world had an obligation to support her. Instead of acting like an adult, she took shortcuts, even if those shortcuts were dishonest.
One day during this process I was at the local delicatessen telling the owner, named Nancy, that I had two extra sets of mattresses that I didn't need, and I wished I could get rid of them. I explained to her that there is a surplus of second-hand mattresses in the area, and that even the charitable organizations weren't accepting them any more. Nancy said that it shouldn't be so hard to get rid of them, and she turned to a young woman who had just bought some food and asked, "Pauline, could you use a double-bed mattress set?" Much to our surprise, Pauline said "yes". I found out later that Pauline and her boyfriend were sleeping on two single beds, and they wanted a double-bed mattress very badly. I told Pauline that the mattress had gotten very little use, but that it had sustained some cosmetic damage to the box spring during two previous moves. I suggested that she discuss it with her boyfriend and then call me later if they decided they wanted it.
Well, Pauline didn't call, so I assumed they weren't interested. But then I was in Nancy's deli a few days later, and Nancy told me that Pauline did want the mattress. While talking to Nancy, I found out that Pauline lived just three blocks from my house.
A couple days later I ran into Pauline, and I told her that she really should look at the mattress to be certain that she wanted it. I asked her if she'd be home that evening, and she said yes. I said I'd be home also and that she should come by to take a look at it. Well, Pauline never showed up. But then a few days later, I once again learned from Nancy that Pauline still wanted the mattress.
The next time I saw Pauline, I told her that if she really wanted the mattress, she'd have to come and get it, and she said she couldn't do that. I suggested that her boyfriend carry it over with the help of a friend, and she said they didn't have any friends. It seemed improbable to me that after two years of living in the neighborhood, they had no friends, but that's what she said. I then suggested that she and her boyfriend come over and carry the mattress set home themselves, but she said she couldn't do that because she had a baby to take care of.
Pauline knew that I was moving, and the only solution she would accept was for me to have my mover deliver the mattress to her. That meant that I would have to pay the mover to do that, which was something I didn't feel I should have to do (since she was getting the mattress for free). I asked Pauline if she would pay for the time it took the mover to bring the mattress to her, and she said no. Well, you can probably guess what happened: I ended up paying my mover to bring the mattress set to her. And ever since then I have been filled with puzzlement about what kind of people these were who wouldn't lift a finger to help themselves.
* * *
Addendum: From frequenting Nancy's deli, I found out some things about Pauline. She would occasionally come into the deli with bruises on her face, so Nancy assumed that her boyfriend was beating her. Certainly that evokes some sympathy for Pauline, but it still doesn't explain why she was so helpless (I say "was" because she has since moved out of the area). I was told that Pauline had run-ins with the police (although I wasn't given the details). I heard that Pauline took a job at a local restaurant and was performing so poorly that they nearly fired her on a couple occasions. Pauline's plan -- according to someone who knew her -- was to work there just long enough to qualify for unemployment insurance, and then to get herself fired so she could collect benefits.
But the worst thing Pauline did was she ran up a $66 tab at Nancy's deli and then refused to pay it. When it came time to start making payments, Pauline claimed that Nancy and her husband had padded the tab, and she stormed out without paying them a single cent. But I know Nancy and her husband, and they would never do something like that. Pauline, it seems, was just one of those people who felt that the world had an obligation to support her. Instead of acting like an adult, she took shortcuts, even if those shortcuts were dishonest.
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