Flabbergasted

Currently my facebook status says "Jodi is flabbergasted" and it's 100% true although I'm not standing on the edge now that I finally was able to unload on my spouse tonight. Following will explain why.

A month ago or more a co-worker and I agreed to make a trade. I had Emma's bunk bed that I no longer needed and she had a stove, refrigerator and microwave stored in her garage that she wanted to get rid of. Her items had come from an uncle who had passed away. He'd been heavily in debt so any money they made went into the estate. There had been talk of selling everything for $1 just to get rid of it. So, I agreed to take the appliance and she would take the bed. I wasn't sure what the bed was worth so in passing I had said that I might owe her some money but she dismissed it.

On trade day, Paul rented a truck, packed up the bed and brought it over to her house. He left the bed and took the appliance to his house where they were going to stay.

Over the weekend, I went over to Paul's house. It was the first time since the appliances had arrived. I opened the stove and the refrigerator to find mouse droppings. I quickly closed them after finding this and made a mental note to return with cleaning supplies. I noted the broken knob and took a new knob to Home Depot to see if I could find a new one. I also brought stainless polish and glass top cleaner.

Today I get to work and recount some of my time at Paul's house. Moments later I get an email from the original owner (well, where it came from) letting me know that I owed her $500 for the appliances and she wanted to know what the best way was for me to pay her. I could split it in half or whatever. I was shocked. Fortunately I had a meeting so I could compose myself and think of an adequate response.

When I returned, I replied explaining that I must have missed something because I thought we'd made an even trade. She replied again letting me know that she was sorry for any confusion and that they were planning to sell them in a garage sale for $700-$900 and since the bed was worth $200 that meant I owed her $500. If I wanted to bed back to try to get more for it then I was more than welcome to do that. Flabbergasted. Speechless. Furious.

Now what do I do?

I felt like a hypocrite

I'm entitled to my opinion. As are you.

I live in Motor City where life is rough and there are quite possibly more people out of work than there are working. It's rough. I tend to believe (rather strongly, too) that people in the D should drive American cars. I also agree with the bumper stickers that say something along the lines of "quit whining about being out of work and get back into your foreign car." I say thing but all the while many members of my family drive foreign cars. In fact, we own a Mazda Miata (it was Paul's before we got married and it's a 1992 and it was used).

But when I was asked to swap cars for the weekend, I did. I traded my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan and drive a 2006 VW Jetta. Both purchased used within the past 60 days. All weekend long I felt guilty for driving it. But I had places to go. I felt like people were sneering at me for driving a foreign car and I couldn't blame them since I really feel the same way.

Now it doesn't make me love my family any less but it did make me feel like a hypocrite.