Serious Cats

Back in the day, the word “cats” was used to describe the male gender who were into nefarious activities. Nowadays, I am sure the word is used in so many other contexts, nevertheless, when others hear it they know to be on their P’s and Q’s.

There is a story I am going to tell you about why it is never a good idea to borrow money. A friend of mine was married to a guy who loved to make wagers. If it was going to rain he would make a wager on how long the rain would fall and whether or not it would cause a deluge.

Some of his wagers went from insignificant to the grand halls of casinos in Las Vegas. In the beginning, he was quite good and won really big. But, as time passed on even a shamrock loses its winning hand and so did he.

Nonetheless, he continued with his exorbitant wagers, some high rollers entertained him because he was just a charming type of guy. However, it became less entertaining and funny when he began losing large sums of money owing several casinos hundreds and thousandths of dollars.

By the time he realized that his innocent hobby had escalated almost into the national debt, he tried to get loans to pay off the vicious characters who would stalk him and his wife day and night. Everywhere he turned to get a loan they declined his application, while his debt kept surmounting.

My friend’s husband tried to pay off the debts with his meager earnings, but his attempts did not even begin to pay the interest that had accrued. These “cats” which were hounding him day and night were relentless.

They showed up at his office, gym and even when he was commuting home. There were some evenings when his wife would pick him up after work simply because on a few occasions he was accosted by some thugs who worked him over because he did not have the funds for them.

Apparently, his debt was transferred to a mafia boss called Two thumbs Twilly who was from Tuscany via Philadelphia. He got his name “Two Thumbs” because when he was born he had 11 digits on his hands.

Anyroad, Two Thumbs Twilly had the reputation of being a mean son of a gun. He was so huge that he would walk into any casino in Vegas and have a thug fest and no one would even flinch or dare protest.

It was as if he was his own law and order, especially since he had half of law enforcement on his payroll. When Two Thumbs Twilly got word that my friend’s husband was unable to pay the escalating debt…Let’s just say that 3T had a meltdown of sorts.

In his thugging world, no one owed Two Thumbs and got away with it. So, he put out a hit on my friend’s husband. Then, word got back to him that he could not execute his plan without retribution or severe consequences because my girlfriends’ father was a diplomat.

It turned out his attempt to “off” his debtee would draw a lot of media attention and prying eyes from the political world. 3T was not happy, so he rounded up his illustrious group of advisors and gangsters and hatched a plan that no one would ever see coming or believe.

One fate-filled evening when my friend went to pick up her husband at the Rail Road she noticed in the distance he was hashing things out with two big burly men. The men were over six feet tall,  tanned and muscular. They wore the standard double-breasted suits with their hair slicked back like Clark Gable. Yet despite their attempt to look cosmopolitan, they exuded an air as if they had just gotten off an Italian steamliner.

My friend watched in horror as they proceeded to toss her husband around, hauling and pulling him back and forth. Mind you, he was a petite man of only 5 feet 7 inches and weighed a  meager 135 lbs.

My friend’s husband was petrified and worried that his wife would walk into the melee that was about to unfold. However, as luck would have it he cleverly waved her away hoping she would get a clue and leave the area promptly.

With tears in her eyes, she made an urgent u-turn trying to get out of dodge before his attackers could notice that she was in the area. As she looked on into her rearview mirror she could see them beating him to a pulp and his lifeless body dropping to the ground.

She tried calling the authorities but by the time they arrived at the scene there was no sign of any altercation and her husband had vanished.

That night and many nights after that she waited by the phone for him to call or come home but he never did. Finally, six weeks later she got a call from a hospital in the Philadelphia area to come and retrieve her husband.

My friend was elated, yet a bit scared and apprehensive. She had no idea what awaited her as she traveled towards the I-95 Interstate to reunite with the love of her life. Once she arrived at the facility she was taken to the intensive care unit to view him. Oddly enough he did not have a scratch on him and he was in good spirits.

As she sat looking at what she believed to be a miracle, she was startled by the ringing of the telephone in the nurse’s station. One of the orderlies came over to her and announced that there was a phone call for her.

When she answered the phone it was no other than Two Thumbs Philly on the other end. He began, “Smile and act as if everything is alright. Here is how this whole deal is going to play out. The man in the the hospital room is not your husband…”He laughed offensively, continuing, “It’s amazing what good plastics they do these days…You are going to keep up appearances and act as if everything is great and we will keep duplicating your husband like an assembly line and that is how we are going to clear the debt. If you tell a soul or let on to anyone we will wipe out your entire family. Do you read me?”

My friend responded, “Loud and clear…”

In one single moment, her joy turned into what would be a long and arduous road of misery. Taunted day and night by a team of strange men who were made to look like the loving husband she once knew. She had no time to mourn him or even bury whatever remains they had not defiled.

For several years, the neighbors could hear her screams and banging sounds on the walls of her apartment from the heinous acts the imposters would subject her to. There were many days when she thought of ending it all but her only saving grace was to see the whole ordeal through in order to vindicate her husband and find his body to give it a proper burial.

She was sworn to secrecy and coaxed never tell anyone, however as an empath it has taken me all this while to piece together her dolorous situation. For me, it is heartbreaking to know that a person’s life can go from a Cinderella existence to a nightmare just because of a few bad decisions. What is even more hurtful is, when the bad decisions were never your own.

It was then I suddenly understood my childhood teachings, “If you go a-borrowing, you will surely go a-sorrowing….”

Unfortunately in life, it is through borrowing money that we find out the true colors and nature of people who say they care for us or understand.