I GOT MY MONEY,BUT THERE'S A STORY

[BLACKHEART]

I posted this on the AZ site & thought others might enjoy it.

I have always been & probably always will be A "somebody who makes pool cues" kind of guy. What did my Dad say,"I never expected much out of life & so far I haven't been disapointed".
Anyway, about 12 years ago, I had a gang of young groupies, that used to come to my house & shoot the bull about pool & pool cues. My wife Connie & I would entertain these young men for hours. At one point I made Qs for 3 of them. They were always a little short on cash, so I told them to pay me, on pay day. 2 of them paid!!! The 3rd refused to answer any phone calls, or any attempt to reach him. Once I saw him at a tournament & cornered him. I simply asked him "WHY,when I treated you & your buddies so well, did you treat me so badly"? He just turned & walked away.
At this point I should tell you that once, with too many beers under my belt, I went looking for him. Lucky for both of us, I missed him.... YESTERDAY, 12 years later, my door bell rang & after opening the door, THERE HE WAS. With his head looking at the ground, he held out 2- one hundred dollar bills. He said " I'm sorry Mr. Eick & I know this isn't enough, but tell me what I owe you & I'll pay you".
I have too admit that I was overwhelmed. I tipped his head up & simply asked
WHY". He said "I don't know, but I was young & stupid & didn't care about anybody else". I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT I GRABBED THIS GUY, WHO IS 100 POUNDS MY SENIOR & GAVE HIM A HUG. I kind of teared up & said "I respect you so much for this. It took a hell of a lot of balls, to walk up to my door & ring that bell". All I could say was,"WE'RE EVEN, THANK YOU".
Now, after 20 years in this business I can say, I'm 100% paid up for my work. Nobody owes me anything...JER

[Sid_Vicious]

Very good "slice of life" story Friend, thanks. It is unique how the saga went with you seeking him and not finding him that time, then this late surprise and payback. You did good with your final response in clearing the debt and praising the guy. Tap-tap-tap, this board needed a feel good post about now...sid

[Stones]

I like what Mark Twain said.

"When I was sixteen, I couldn't believe how stupid my father was. When I turned twenty-one, it was amazing how smart he had gotten in five years."

Good story.

[Rich R.]

Jer, this shows that you weren't the only one thinking about that debt for the past 12 years.
And yes, it did take a lot of balls to ring that bell.

Very nice story.

Thanks.

[Sig]

Great story. I bet that's the best 200 bucks that guy has ever spent.

[Billy_Bob]

Your story is very refreshing!

Many people are extremely self-centered these days. Some just take and take and take, but never give anything back. They never give tips at bars/restaurants either. Then complain about the poor service they get!

I must say I am amused watching these people. They are contrary to everything I was taught growing up.

I have one such friend. He does not have much money, so I frequently foot the bill. I have given and given and given. And he takes, takes, takes. I have done this for years and wondered if he would ever think about doing something for me in return. He even neglected to give his wife a Christmas present until after Christmas, then complained to me when she did not do anything for him on Valentine's day. (I didn't say a word...)

Actually he is sort of an experiment. How long will he continue to take without ever giving anything back in return? (He is an excellent pool player, so that is why I have put up with this for so long.)

Anyway one day out of the blue, he handed me $20!

I said "What is this for?"

He looked at me sheepishly and said "You are always doing things for me and I want to give you this. It is not much, but I want to thank you for what you have done."

I almost fainted on the spot! I told him that $20 meant more to me than anything he could have done. That it is the thought which counts.

A few weeks later he gave me $10 more! (I've never asked him for a thing. He is doing this on his own...)