Damn It is Expensive to be Stupid

You see, I really wanted to go.  Really badly, I wanted to go to the WTA&M Writer’s Academy. Waiting for my second book to be published, I had hoped that it might fund going, then, my back up had been an income tax refund, but we only got a fifteen dollar refund.  I started getting odd jobs like pet sitting a cat, and tutoring but those were only paying a few dollars each time.  My time was running out.  I had to sign up by the end of March to get the discount.  Then the creme de la creme happened.

I hate SuperStore  I never shopped there. Their stores were dirty and unorganized, the people who shopped there were weird and the clerks were, well never anywhere to be found.  Then they built a new prototype store a mile from my house.  I had to go by it every time I went to the gourmet grocery store.  Finally in a hurry I rushed into SuperStore.  I could almost hear those bells of amazement, ringing in my head, like when something amazing happens on a TV show.  This SuperStore was not dirty.  It was well organized and appealing. Dr Peppers were $2.50 for six, instead of $3.60. I was hooked…but only for Dr. Pepper.

Soon I really was hooked.  I was not only buying Dr. Pepper but toilet paper and laundry detergent and it only got worse.  I had become a 2 time a week SuperStore shopper.  To reward my addiction I got an email from SuperStore (at least I thought).   Since I was such a good customer they wondered if I was interested in being a secret shopper to evaluate their employee devotion.  Did they say, “Welcome to SuperStore when I walked in checked out? Did they smile and offer to help me when I couldn’t find something?  Of course! I could do that!!  And they would pay me handsomely for these services……$350 per survey.  I filled out the form, name, phone number and email address.  I could already see my money piling up to go to the seminar.  I started to go ahead and register for the Academy but wanted the money in the bank first, so I did not.

It took several months but on March 24th my packet arrived.  It had all the information of what I had to do, none of which looked too complicated and a check for $2750.   $350 of which was mine to keep.  The instructions said, “Do not deposit in your checking account, take it to your bank and get cash.”  Then I had 3 things to do. First, buy an item for less than $30 and evaluate the checker, "Did she say Welcome  to Super Store?" Was she wearing her name tag, was she polite etc.  Second, send a SuperStore to Super Store transfer to the name and address provided for $1300, plus the $50 transfer fee. Third, purchase a Money Gram for $1000 and send to the name and address provided, for $1000  plus the $50 transfer fee.

I followed the instructions carefully.  The transfer fee however was only a total of $26, so I had a surplus of $74 dollars.  When I got home I called the number given to me for questions to tell them that I had a surplus and asked what to do with the extra money.  I left a message, a man immediately called back. He was gruff and talked with a heavy middle eastern accent.  When I was explaining, he cut me off and said, “Be quiet and just listen!  I text you later and tell you how give money back. Email me copies of receipts.”  He specifically wanted the 8 digit number of the transaction for the SuperStore to SuperStore transfer and the Money Gram transfer. Then he kept texting me and asking me why wasn’t I sending it faster.   When got it, SLAM went the phone, and he was gone. I thought about this, it was very odd, he wasn’t very professional but that was pretty normal for inquiry calls today, whether it was AT&T or Capital One.  

At 11:00 PM the man called again.  This time he said, “You go now to Super Store, buy me iTunes card for $75 dollar.”  Surprised I told him no, I would not go out in the middle of the night to do this.  It would have to wait until morning.   At 7:00 am he called again waking me up, “You get me card?  Why not?”  I told him I would get it at 10:00 am, no sooner.  

Finally after many punches my stupidity button had finally been pushed.  This had to be a scam. I went to my laptop and put in SuperStore Scams.  Up popped the list, I scanned down and there before me was the scam.

I called the police and gave them all the information. They told me to answer no more of his calls or texts.  He kept texting and said, “Why not you send me iTune card? I wait to read from you next communication.”  The police told me the check was probably hot and would bounce back to my checking account.  He had  made away with $2300 of my money.  Then I went to the bank to get a copy of the check I had cashed.  To cover it,  I had to take out a personal loan for the $2300 that would soon be missing from my account.  

Then I drove to the police station downtown.  I presented all the receipts, my transaction for the cashing the check, a copy of the check I had gotten at the bank, and the envelope the check had come in, with a return address.

Not only did I have no money for the Academy, I owed my bank, $2300 for the personal loan plus the $379 of interest I would have to pay back.  Damn, It’s expensive to be stupid. It was not SuperStore’s fault, it was the people running the scam.  I have reverted back to my old feelings about Super Store however, maybe I will only buy Dr. Pepper there from now on.....and I will not be going to the Academy this year.  Damn it is expensive to be stupid!

The 4th

Each summer of my childhood we left LaMarque about the 29th of June to drive to Washington State.  As far as I was concerned Washington was the Promised Land.  We got up at 4 am to head for Raton, New Mexico which was our first night's stop.  There were no LaQuinta's or chain motels along the way.  We never stopped at a motel that had colored neon lights.  Dad said that was sign they were hiding something with the colored lights.  When we did find a place to stay,  my dad and the manager would go to the room for dad to inspect it, and it if it was clean and met the standards, we stayed there.  We usually didn't get there until 9 PM or so.  Dad said it was important to make the first day "count".

From there we headed to Cheyene, Wyoming.  We got into Cheyenne much earlier and were able to go to the museum, shop and just mainly relax.  We never ate at "hamburger joints" as my mother called them, but rather had sit-down meals at restaurants along the way.  My mom had the say on where we ate.  When we stopped and got a coke, it was a real treat.  Dad liked driving across Wyoming because there were usually "gas wars". You would pass a station with gas for 22 cents a gallon and a few miles down the road another station would have it for 19 cents a gallon.  On a 2500 mile trip it was nice to get a good deal once in a while.

The third night we stayed in Twin Falls, Idaho at a quaint little place called the Colonial Inn.  We had been there every summer since I was 3, so the owner remembered us.  It was a white building in a U-shape with colonial columns all around the front.  In the back there was a garden of several acres and a huge above ground swimming pool.  There were also many pet cats on the grounds. Each one had a name and was well loved.  I loved the Colonial Inn.  After being trapped in the car for three days I could get out and run play with the cats and of course swim.  There was a restaurant we could walk to next door.

We got up early the next day for the final day of the trip.  Dad had the trunk open as we each brought our bags to him.  He had the rule that everyone was in charge of their own stuff.  Finishing loading he closed the trunk and we all got in.  As we were waiting to turn onto the road, I could hear noises from the trunk, I listened closer and was sure I heard a meow.  "Dad? Are you sure you didn't lock one of the cats in the trunk?"
"Of course not!"
"Well I can hear one meowing!"  We were about a block from the Colonial Inn. He agreed to stop.
Before he got the trunk completely open, a cat shot out of the trunk like it had been fired out of a cannon.  He was running as hard as he could down the road, as we stood there we saw him cut through the trees by the motel.
"Do you think that had happened before?" I asked my dad.
"Probably...he knew right were to turn!"

 It was a long drive from Twin Falls, to Qunicy, Washington where my grandmother lived.  There were lots of wide open spaces and fortunately by father drove by landmarks and knew exactly where the next gas station would be  We would usually make it in to Quincy about midnight.  We would stop by my grandmother's house, if the back door was open we would slip in as quietly as possibly.  The hide-a-bed couch in the living room wold be made up for me.  Mom and Dad would slip into the extra bedroom.  Just was the last light was turned out.  My grandmother would say, "Goodnight".  I would squeal, the lights would come on as we all got up to hug and talk until I fell asleep.

The next day we would all get up and start cooking. The big family reunion was on the 4th of July.  Mom helped Grannie make the salads and pies, I got to help by cutting cookies and timing them in the oven.  Dad and I also climbed the cherry tree in the front yard to get the cherries for pies, making sure not to eat too many, as we picked.

My mother only had three brothers, but my grandmother was the 2nd of 11 kids.  From the oldest to the youngest in her family was 33 years.  After about her 4th sibling, they were the ages of her own children and younger.  My mother had aunts and uncles that were more like brothers and sisters. That meant I had Mom's three brothers and their wives as uncles and aunts, then I had ten more sets of great uncles and aunts. They all had kids that were cousins...more cousins than names I could even remember. There were usually about 80 people that were considered immediate family.

The picnic was at Mt. Ranier National Park.  It was the most beautiful place. The mountains surrounded us with beautiful views every way and cool mountain breezes. Basically to a kid from Texas, it was paradise.  One year the family decided to buy the meat from this brand new place that made chicken.  Uncle Perry, my grandmother's oldest brother asked me if I would like to go with him.  We climbed into his big white Cadillac and headed to Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken.  It was ready when we got there. Uncle Perry, me and the lady from the chicken place loaded up the whole backseat with buckets of chicken.  When we arrived back at the park, every man there descended on the car to get the chicken.  By then my twin cousins Peg and Tricia,  along with Joyce from Oklahoma, Sandra from Seattle and of course the boy cousins, were all there.  I was always so excited to see them.

We ate and played on the playground until everyone started calling all the kids.  Then we got in the cars and headed back to Quincy, Ellensburg, Naches Valley, Seattle and the little towns. The family reunion was always the highlight of my summer.  Since we lived in Texas this was the one chance each year I had to spend with relatives.  It was so magical to me.  For them, just another family get-together.  But for this one day every year I too had a big wonderful family.

High School Homecoming....or Rather The Mum

At 15,  unlike most of my peers I had not had a date.  My parents were firm that I could not date until I was 16.  I really didn't care.  Boys made me nervous.  The thought of having to create conversation for the span of a date was overwhelming to me.  It was Homecoming week, the Cheerleaders had spent the afternoon in the hot girl's gym, behind the band hall, decorating for the dance.

By some fluke, I had once again made twirler.  In high school the image had much more pressure.  One of the pressures was having a mum to wear on my uniform for Homecoming. Nancy Dunten had taught me to dance...but I had no date and that meant I had no mum.   I had subtly suggested to my parents that they  might buy me one, however my mother's attitude was "No date, no mum....deal with it."  I was trying to.  Not having a mum for Homecoming was a big deal, not because of the date or the dance, but because I did not want to be the only twirler in the band, marching on the field, with no mum.

I could hear the chatter in the stands, "Oh someone doesn't have a mum, who is that, can you see who it is?  That is Jan Greenlee!!  She doesn't have a date for Homecoming!  That doesn't surprise me one bit....my daughter says she is such a mouse."
"Well my son said...." and so it would go, with my parents sitting in the middle of it, taking it all in, slightly amused.

Shelly Fox, who was a Junior twirler, told me not to worry, she would find me a date.... groan.  I didn't want a date, I wanted a mum.  On the afternoon of Homecoming, at the end of 5th period, Shelly came through, she had gotten me a date with Chris, who was also very quiet and in band.

I was sick.  First of all I had been in Driver's Ed with Chris and he had almost killed us all.  The thought of going anywhere in a car with him scared  me to death.  He was from a huge family who had a van, and I knew my mother would not let me go on a date with anyone who had a van.

Finally, after band he came and talked to me. "I'll meet you at the band hall after the game, I can't by you a mum, I don't have any money."  And...he was gone.  No one understood.  Now I had a date, but no stupid mum.  I had agreed to the date, so I would not be the only twirler without a mum, at least I didn't have ride in the car anywhere with him.  Now I would have to brave the humiliation anyway.  

My dad picked me up that afternoon with his cheery, "How's your day?"
"Terrible, I got a date for Homecoming but he is not getting me a mum.... I will be the only twirler without a mum."
"Well if that is the worst disappointment you ever have you will be lucky."   No one understood.

The band members were assembling at the band hall to march to Etheridge stadium, when my dad dropped me off on the circle.  I reluctantly got out of the car.....everyone was standing around talking....mum ribbons, swirling in the wind, hanging to their knees.  I was mortified I had the stupid date but no mum.  I heard a girl call my name and turned to see Kay, Shelly's sister coming up to me.  "Here Jan..... it's your mum!"  I was stunned as she pinned it on my uniform.
"Chris told me he couldn't buy me one?"  Kay just smiled and looked at me. "Well you just never know!" I never knew where it came from.  I think the twirlers must have taken up a collection to get it for me. The band marched at halftime presenting the back ground for the crowning of the Homecoming Queen.  I marched proudly with the mum ribbons fluttering all around.

After the game I changed clothes and met Chris at the band hall, we walked to the girl's gym where the Homecoming Dance was in full swing. After a few minutes of standing by the wall in the, Chris looked at me like he was in severe pain and said, "Ya wanna dance?"
"Not really."
"Good, I'll get someone to take you home."
And he did, although with the fog of the passing years, I really don't remember who it was.