Somewhere between 2009 and 2010, while I still had a one bedroom apartment in Pine Forest, I got my first sign. Cheryl's electric was cut off at the precise time she was at a divorce hearing. I remember this because the power was cut while I was in the condo.
I should have recognised that there was an issue, but she was always good at hiding things. That was an awakening moment.... a $1600 past due electric bill. That equates to about 8 months (maybe more) of unpaid electricity. She simply ignored it. The same thing later happened to the cable.
This "sign" was not new. She did the same thing back in Paris Twp, however, her parents owned the property and repeatedly bailed her out. Cheryl was NOT a conscientious bill payer. She would rather spend money on cameras and equipment then pay her bills.
That trend later surfaced again. In 2011 and 12, she was forced to have me take over the bills because she couldn't get any utility in her name: Not cable, not electric, not cell phone. Eventually, I carried the financial ball and my apartment in North Royalton was foregone, due to those expenses in 2010. By June of 2012, she was sidelined from work due to a bladder infection and by August, her doctors disabled her.
Her car was next. Once, in the evening, late in 2012, came a knock at the door. She sat upstairs, denying any problems but also said DON'T ANSWER IT!!! "It" being of course, a repo man. She was defiantly denying any problem and I had to tell her about my current chapter 13 BK, and how it saved my car... but also how she could save hers. She eventually conceded and let me give the tow truck man a business card for my BK attorney, stating she just filed bankruptcy and was therefore protected. She followed through meeting him, and borrowed the money for his fee from Kristin, Chris' girlfriend. She was paid back by the second (and final) social security check Cheryl received in April.
Throughout Cheryl's life, she ignored bills, lending laws and even divorce paperwork, unless it suited her needs. (even cashed a tax refund of her ex back in 2000), which should have been my awakening even back then! Those lessons learned back then are the reason I won't utilize joint credit with Heather, who demonstrates similar tendencies, (ie School Loans).
