FEELING SORRY
What do you say when one of your best friends tells you that he has just filed Chapter 7 and that he could end up living in a cardboard box somewhere. He hadn't told Sue yet. Knowing Sue like I do this wouldn’t set easy with her. She always tried to pull Steve back in from all these supposedly great opportunities, and most of the time she was successful. He has made some big mistakes over time, but none as big as this one. He has nothing left to lose. He has a second mortgage on his house and also now on his vacation place. His credit cards were maxed, and he used up his savings. The only thing left was his 401k. I said I hoped he wasn't going to lose that, but when I thought about it I think its exempt from being liquidated. I could tell Steve was having a hard time. His voice cracked once over the phone. I asked him what he was doing for lunch. It was a nicer day, so why don't we meet halfway, I suggested. He sounded relieved to be able to talk, so we agreed to noon. I hung up and just sat there. His great partners had just disappeared.