I Will Gladly Pay You Tuesday for a Hamburger Today

I hate not having money.

Ever since I was a kid, I was acutely aware that my family did not have as much money as other families. My parents subscribed to the idea that their child should go to the best school in the best district. That meant they would take any house they could afford as long as it was in the school district.

So, while my friends were inviting me over to swim in their pools, or were talking about the family vacation to Mexico at Christmas, I was busy trying to hide the fact that my clothes came from the swap meet and we lived in a house boat moored at the boat yard where my Dad was the crane operator.

For the most part I did an okay job of it.

I got an allowance as a kid. When I was old enough I got a part time job. When I got to college I was just as broke as anyone else.

But this weekend brought all those old feelings back again. My credit card was not working. It wasn't that there was no money in my account. The card itself was not working. So, every time I tried to make a purchase my card would come back as declined. And then I felt like the person at the register was giving me that look. You know the look. The "he hasn't made a payment on his card and now he is fumbling for an excuse" look.

So, I would pull out my debit card. That wasn't working either. Again, it wasn't that we were out of money (it pulls from Emmy's account and she just had been paid). there was something wrong with my card. So, every time I went to get cash or pay for something, my card would come back rejected.

It was really embarrassing.

I stopped in at the bank on the corner in Seattle to see what the problem was. They informed me there was a hold on my card, but they couldn't figure out why. So, they unlocked my card, gave it back to me, and sent me on my way. I stopped at the ATM, got some cash, and went about my business.

By Sunday, the problem was back.

Luckily the school year is almost over. Soon I will be able to visit a bank (I hate banks that are only open during "banking" hours), sit down, and get to the bottom of this. For now, I am on a cash-only basis. Until i come up a couple of dollars short. Then I am back to feeling twelve again. Back to being the kid who can't afford to go out for pizza. It is really embarrassing.