Over the next year the business was down but still making money. My husband didn't seem to be enjoying it as he had before though. He was irritable and turned the customers over to the manager to handle because he didn't want to deal with them. We had the same manager for over 7 years. He was a customer that was unemployed and didn't have a trade. My husband liked his personality so he had paid all his expenses: car, airfare, hotel, meals, and schooling, to be trained to work in the business and then manage it. He had to go to classes three separate times in another state all expenses paid. He was good with the customers but he was lazy and didn't get the paperwork done on a daily basis and didn't ever do anything to promote new business. I spoke to my husband the year I was on my leave of absences and ask him if we could get rid of him and find someone more experienced and willing to work. He told me the customers love him if I get rid of him that will upset them.
When the economy started coming back a little at a time our business didn't see the growth that you would expect and instead of getting better it was getting worse. Over the next year we found out the manager was stealing money and customers from us. This betrayal was more than my husband could take. He fell apart. He went in to a deep depression, started drinking, was arrested for a DUI, went into the hospital for depression, and basically fell apart. My husband is the kind of person that would do anything in the world for his friends and would never betray them. The fact that this man was a friend of his hurt him more than the money. He just couldn't believe that someone would do that to someone they supposedly were friends with.
During this time I had made a decision to get healthy myself. I had eaten myself up to 267 pounds and a size 24. I had decided that I no longer wanted to just exist and survive; I wanted to be healthy and happy. I made a lot of changes and released 134 pounds in 12 months. We ended up having to file bankruptcy and change our entire lives. The entire year was stressful but once we got everything taken care of I thought we were back on track and my husband was showing signs of the sober man he had been for 17 years. I thought wow! I think things might work out.
I was going to San Diego and he wanted to come with me. I was being recognized for my weight loss and getting an award. I was excited to have him with me and be sharing something positive for a change. The morning of the first event I woke up early to shower and get ready. After I got dressed I woke him up and began tidying up the hotel room. I was hanging up clothes and picking up dirty clothes and putting them up. I picked up the jeans he'd been wearing the day before off the floor and started matching the seams to crease them and hang them up when a syringe fell out of the pocket. My entire world started to spin and I actually felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me!
No comments:
Post a Comment