July 30, 2001 ~ I said I wasn't going to
write about this again, but I sure hope I didn't promise. Because it looks like I'm writing about it again. It has now been about two months since my cat, Sam, died. And BIG surprise, the people who promised to pay the bills... didn't. Never mind that they can easily afford it, never mind that the cat would never have been attacked (in our front yard, in the middle of sixty acres... did I mention that?), had they not abandoned their father's dogs here, when they moved their dad in with them.
They were not terribly responsible about their dad, when he was our neighbor. Let's not get started on THAT. Anyway, I guess my point is that since they didn't seem terribly responsible about things which I assume were very important to them, I didn't really expect them to be responsible about things which meant almost nothing to them. Like me. Pesky neighbor me. I mean, the nerve of me! Calling them, expecting them to DO something about those dogs, to get them out of here before they killed any other pets, or worse, before they attacked a person. WhatEVER was I thinking?
Sam died on June 1st, I think, and here it is the end of July. No checks have been forthcoming. Well. I've tried very hard not to think about this, because it just makes me ill. I can feel that stupid pounding in my ears, and that churning in my stomach, and yes... there are tears as I write this. I'm blinking them back. I understand now, why people file what I consider to be "frivolous" lawsuits. Get over it, I've always thought. But now I understand that anger and frustration, and can see how people would be tempted to try to call a lawyer or check into small claims court or some such thing. I think, sometimes, that a simple apology would go a long way in preventing these problems. The thing that bothers me the most is that the sons don't seem to care. Do these people not have pets? Do they not have... hearts? We aren't talking about a huge amount of money here, and we've paid most of the bill already... it's not about the money. It's the idea that... something they did... caused the suffering and death of an innocent animal, and they do not seem bothered by that fact. I guess you can't make people care, can you?
I just finished writing a letter to the son. One last try, I think. Or not? What will it take for me to let go? An apology would help, even more than a check in the mail.
But I won't hold my breath.
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