The Fourth of July was coming. I was on my way to the airport to catch a flight to the Annual Chapter/Convocation of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans. As I was leaving the house, I was accosted by Vince, a spiritual nemesis.
Vince had been an acquaintance for quite awhile. I had first met him at the Lakota Center, years ago. He was well-spoken, educated, and polite at that meeting. I ran into him several times over the course of our acquaintance. Not all the times were pleasant. Most often he was asking for assistance--for money, food, or other needs. Generally I found ways to assist him.
He really didn't like receiving gifts but rather preferred earning his way for whatever goods came his way, and he preferred not items but cash. One day he arrived at my house seeking to do some minor repairs on my house. He was most desperate this time because his house had been lost in an electrical fire. I engaged his help for a set price. All seemed OK, but it wasn't. I knew shortly after he began that he wasn't up to the task. He had to ask a friend to help him with the project. He didn't want to share the money for the project with the friend. There was much stress in regard to finishing the work.
The result was not particularly satisfactory. Worse, because of his homelessness he stashed his "stuff" at my house. Some of it was suspicious. I asked him to remove it. He did not come to get it. Finally I delivered it to the Lakota Center and informed him that his things were there. He was not happy. I did not see him for some time, until my leaving for the meeting.
"I want to store my stuff at your house while I go to a family reunion in Colorado," he stated at a later time.
I said, "No. You can't. I won't allow it. Not here." He left and a little later I was on my way.
When I returned home the first thing I saw was an overloaded portable dumpster and a Safeway shopping cart, both filled with junk of every imaginable kind. I knew that Vince had struck. When I came into the house, my wife informed me that Vince left the stuff in our yard and promised to pick it up by the end of the day. He didn't. I called the police because I was afraid that some of the items might have been stolen. I knew he did not get permission to remove the Safeway cart. When the police arrived, they just rolled their eyes and left.
I took the dumpster and the cart into the alley for people to take whatever they wanted. After a couple of days, what was left was put into the place for the garbage service to removed. I returned the cart. I asked my wife if we should put the house up for sale as a way of "putting out the fleece" to see if now was the time to move. She said OK. I called a friend who is a realtor. She looked over the house. We set a price. Two days later the house was sold. We had one month to look for a new house.
The result is that we now live in Michigan.
— ronnw
Vince had been an acquaintance for quite awhile. I had first met him at the Lakota Center, years ago. He was well-spoken, educated, and polite at that meeting. I ran into him several times over the course of our acquaintance. Not all the times were pleasant. Most often he was asking for assistance--for money, food, or other needs. Generally I found ways to assist him.
He really didn't like receiving gifts but rather preferred earning his way for whatever goods came his way, and he preferred not items but cash. One day he arrived at my house seeking to do some minor repairs on my house. He was most desperate this time because his house had been lost in an electrical fire. I engaged his help for a set price. All seemed OK, but it wasn't. I knew shortly after he began that he wasn't up to the task. He had to ask a friend to help him with the project. He didn't want to share the money for the project with the friend. There was much stress in regard to finishing the work.
The result was not particularly satisfactory. Worse, because of his homelessness he stashed his "stuff" at my house. Some of it was suspicious. I asked him to remove it. He did not come to get it. Finally I delivered it to the Lakota Center and informed him that his things were there. He was not happy. I did not see him for some time, until my leaving for the meeting.
"I want to store my stuff at your house while I go to a family reunion in Colorado," he stated at a later time.
I said, "No. You can't. I won't allow it. Not here." He left and a little later I was on my way.
When I returned home the first thing I saw was an overloaded portable dumpster and a Safeway shopping cart, both filled with junk of every imaginable kind. I knew that Vince had struck. When I came into the house, my wife informed me that Vince left the stuff in our yard and promised to pick it up by the end of the day. He didn't. I called the police because I was afraid that some of the items might have been stolen. I knew he did not get permission to remove the Safeway cart. When the police arrived, they just rolled their eyes and left.
I took the dumpster and the cart into the alley for people to take whatever they wanted. After a couple of days, what was left was put into the place for the garbage service to removed. I returned the cart. I asked my wife if we should put the house up for sale as a way of "putting out the fleece" to see if now was the time to move. She said OK. I called a friend who is a realtor. She looked over the house. We set a price. Two days later the house was sold. We had one month to look for a new house.
The result is that we now live in Michigan.
— ronnw
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