Holding the Grudge

[lumberjim]

For three weeks, I worked for an outfit that sold speakers out of a van. I think I was 18 or 19. The ad in the paper said "hi-fi stereo sales. fast paced environment, casual" So i called. I think I got the job over the phone.

So, i made some money ( cash money ) my first couple of weeks, and was diggin it. We would accost people in parking lots of shopping centers or restaurants or malls, and tell them we were accidentally overloaded with speakers and were on our way to install them at a club, but wanted to sell these 2 speakers before we got there. fun.....i found myself starting conversations with strangers when i was not working. The practice you get talking to people you don't know makes you much more extroverted in daily life. And, as I said, I only worked there for three weeks.

So, one day I'm in the van in training with Roy. Roy, you big jerk off from Boston. With your $^*#% Boston accent and your Sam Kinnison hairdo. I didn't like Roy a whole lot. He used to shoplift major appliances while on duty. I frowned upon this. I found it to be unproffessional. One day he waved a lady out from the curb (pedestrian crossing street) and as she got right in front of him, he lurched the van forward and skiddded to a stop about 2 feet from her. Then he yelled,"I'll run you over and fuck your dead body!" out the window as he drove past her. I pulled his right arm off and hit him with it at that point ( in my mind).

Anyway, we're in the van. He stops this guy. James S Wardrop ( address withheld, but memorized) of Lancaster. At first, James says no, fuck off please; thank you. So we do a couple laps, and there's James waving us over. He changed his mind, and he wants the speakers, but only has $80 in cash; would we take a check? ( we didn't take checks as a rule) So Roy takes the check, and I load the speakers into James's orange and wood panel pinto wagon. $320 check, & $80 cash. speakers cost $150/pr, so we each made $125.
After lunch, Roy drives to the bank that the check is drafted on, and goes thru the drive thru to cash it. There is a problem with the teller's computer and she has to go to another one. about 5 minutes go by, and Roy is honking the horn when 2 police cars pull up in front of us.
"Out of the Van"

uh oh
what did we do?

"you took this guy's check, but never gave him the speakers"

yes i did

"well, he says you didn't and he filed his complaint first, so I'll need your belt, wristwatch, bracelet and shoes before you go into that holding cell next to the beligerent drunk guy's cell(thank god I was in my own cell).

45 minutes, and the bored and sleepy detective came to get me. Mr Wardrop has agreed to drop the chares as long as you give the $80 cash back.

Slick.

The hardest thing I've ever done in my life was not kill Roy on the hour and a half ride thru traffic back to the shop at 7 or 8 at night.

When I began this story, it was because I've held this little kernel of seething anger at Mr Wardrop, and wondered if any of you have a kernel of you own. ( a little Indigo Montoya) {princess bride-"hello, my NAME is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die."}

But as I read what I've written, I realize that I need to find and punish Roy as soon as possible. Anyone seen him?

It's actually "Inigo" Montoya. Just a slight correction.

[Nothing But Net]

So you actually only made $85 each. Just for talking shit. Still not bad. As long as the check cleared.

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by Nothing But Net
So you actually only made $85 each. Just for talking shit. Still not bad. As long as the check cleared.

the check was never cashed, sherlock. The girl at the bank called the cops because wardrop had called them and told them not to cash it and that we had ripped him off.

It wasn't a word problem. I want to know who you are holding a long term grudge against and why.

[Nothing But Net]

I got no problem, Holmes. You never said if the check went through or not, you just said he got his $80 cash back.

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by Nothing But Net
I got no problem, Holmes. You never said if the check went through or not, you just said he got his $80 cash back.

sorry.

i thought it would have been assumed that the cops wouldn't give us the check when they released us.

didn't mean to snap at you....I think dave is rubbing off on me. Ewwww...that doesn't sound right.

peace

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by dave
It's actually "Inigo" Montoya. Just a slight correction.

Dave, you ignorant slut.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Why Dave, I didn't know you are a slut.

[Undertoad]

I have absolutely no sympathy in this case. You were part of a fucking scam and you got out-scammed. The lesson here is not to sell speakers out of a fucking van. I knew that was a line the first time I heard it in 1986 and I must have been offered speakers out of a van about 5 times since.

You deserved the jail time for being a moron. Take the lesson and drop the grudge.

[lumberjim]

Originally posted by Undertoad
I have absolutely no sympathy in this case. You were part of a fucking scam and you got out-scammed. The lesson here is not to sell speakers out of a fucking van. I knew that was a line the first time I heard it in 1986 and I must have been offered speakers out of a van about 5 times since.

You deserved the jail time for being a moron. Take the lesson and drop the grudge.

UT, I think you missed my point of my post. I am not looking for your sympathy. I absolutely deserved what I got. And, as I said, in writing down how I felt, it became apparent that instead of resenting mr Wardrop, I kind of have to give him some respect for out-scamming us, as you put it. I was also obviously kidding about finding Roy. He's probably in jail. He really did steal a tv and a dryer while we were working. Just put on a white jump suit, took a hand truck into a showroom and walked out like he knew exactly what he was doing. I was furious that whole day. then the above incident capped the day off, and i quit when i got back to the store.

There's nothing illegal about selling speakers out of a van, in fact many of those guys actually have vending permits for the areas they work in. It is, however, immoral at best, and usually decietful. I was young. I know better now. Now I rip people off legitimately when they are expecting to be ripped off. And I'm good at it.


anyway, the point of the post was that I have let the grudge go, and in asking others to open up their grudges, like dave did with his BB thing, those pople may find that THEY can let THEIR grudge go.

[Beestie]

I guess what UT (and maybe NbN also) was saying is that you have no basis whatsoever for holding a grudge against Mr. Wardop who, I might add, is a very fast thinker. Sorry, but I agree.

Its difficult to get past that in the context of this thread.

Now, getting to your point, I have a grudge against a family member but they are passed away so I have learned to let it go. But it still pops up from time to time which has led me to question whether or not I (or generally speaking, anyone) can truly let these things go. Its nice to preach forgiveness but its another thing to truly forgive.

One peice of advice - don't wait till they're dead because then its all on you and you have no way to get rid of it other than learning to live with it. And it fits like a sportscoat that's a size or two too small.

edited to fix spelling errors - content unchanged

[Undertoad]

Yeah awright.

[Riddil]

This reminds me of an old buddy of mine...

The guy was a smart chap, but a determined under-achiever.

So one day he finds himself working at this decent restraunt. But he's always complaining about how the entire staff is a bunch of low-life thugs. They're always talking about drug deals, and selling stolen property.

Well. He eventually starts hanging out with these guys after work. They go out and drink at a bar, chill and watch a game, then head home.

Well one day he and one of the guys take off after lunch shift to hit a sports bar for a while. (My buddy drives the both of them out there) My buddy has to work that night, the other guy has the night off. This guy tells my friend, "I need to check my schedule, just take me back to the restraunt, and I'll take a bus home."

So back they head to the restraunt. My buddy is working, the other guy is lounging around talking to people for an hour or so. It starts to get busy, and this guy says to my friend, "Oh, hey man, I forgot my *something-or-other* in your car, gimme your keys and I'll be right back."

Yeah. So it's busy, my friend gets back to work. About an hour later he realizes... "holy shit... he never brought my keys back." Runs out to the parking lot....

Car is stolen. The guy never showed back up to work, he was just there to get his last paycheck.

Anyhow, the moral of this story is... if you hang around with people that are shit, don't act surprised when you end up stepping in it.

[ladysycamore]

Originally posted by Beestie
Now, getting to your point, I have a grudge against a family member but they are passed away so I have learned to let it go. But it still pops up from time to time which has led me to question whether or not I (or generally speaking, anyone) can truly let these things go. Its nice to preach forgiveness but its another thing to truly forgive.

One piece of advice - don't wait till they're dead because then its all on you and you have no way to get rid of it other than learning to live with it. And it fits like a sportscoat that's a size or two too small.

This makes me very glad that the grudges that I do hold are not against family members. I figure if they are against people that you don't really care about, then oh well.

The one that comes up every so often is an ex-coworker/team leader of mine. She fucked with my work (sabatoge), and tried to get me fired (it didn't happen, thank God). I have absolutely no forgiveness for people like that, and nothing would please me more than to hear of her untimely demise.

Learned to live with it, and it fits me just fine.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Forgive and Forget.
I've always been told that is sage advice. Forgive I'll buy because it will consume to much of you if you don't. But don't forget, or you'll be doomed to repeat history.