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“The problem is an unpaid electric bill. It would seem, Mr. Duncan, that your account is over sixty-days past due.”
Caleb frowned, glancing down at the phone as if he could see the woman on the other end and would get better answers. “Overdue? That’s not possible. I’ve got it set up on auto draft every month to pay the balance.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do on my end. Give the main office a call and see if you can get this sorted out,” the woman said, absolving herself from any ability to help.
“I’ll do that. This is utterly ridiculous,” he snapped. Ever since Lauren died and life seemed to drift out of control, he had put measures into place to keep things like this from happening. True, he didn’t bother with his mail, instead piling it up in a box that he took care of when he was good and ready, but it didn’t mean things didn’t get done. There was never anything of importance, anyway, mostly junk mail.
In a small town, if someone wanted him for something…they simply called or stopped by to ask. Caleb dialed the main office, the automated system placing him on hold.
“What’s wrong, Daddy?” Joelle asked.
“Nothing, sweetheart. Just a little mix-up. I’ll have it sorted out in a jiffy.” He hoped anyway. They had to be wrong. Caleb made his way down the hall, stopping at his desk in the corner of the spare bedroom. He skimmed through the stack of mail, stopping on the one from the electric company. Slicing the envelope open, he unfolded the letter.
Overdue. The big red stamp on the top caught his attention immediately. Still, there had to be some mistake. It would seem it wasn’t the power company’s fault at all. Which left the bank, as clearly his auto draft stopped sending in the payments. Hopefully, it was only the power bill, otherwise he was about to have a gigantic mess on his hands.
Caleb hung up the phone, no longer needing to talk to the rep. He called the bank instead, intent on understanding the problem.
“Sunrise Select Bank. How may I help you?” the woman asked.
“This is Caleb Duncan and there seems to be a problem with my account. I’ve got an auto draft set up for my electric bills and yet they seem to have stopped paying and my power was cut off.”
“I’m sorry Mr. Duncan. Let me check into this for you.” After verifying his information, the woman made a few comments along the way, letting him know she was still investigating the issue. “I found the problem. There’s not enough money in your account to cover the payment. You have a negative balance with some charges and late fees.”
“That’s impossible,” Caleb fumed. “My uncle makes the store deposits like clockwork and there shouldn’t be a problem.” He massaged his temples, hoping to stop the pounding that throbbed in his ears as the woman’s words sunk in.
“Yes, the deposits come in every week. But they aren’t enough to cover your expenses anymore. It would seem they are getting less and less each time. We need you to come to the bank as soon as possible to clear this up and deposit some additional funds. Is there anything else I can do to help you, Mr. Duncan?” she asked.
This was ludicrous. “No.” Talking to the woman wouldn’t change a thing, and he hung up the phone. Apparently, only money could fix his current situation. Caleb didn’t have a clue what was going on at the store or why the deposits were shrinking. For sixteen months, his uncle had handled the store business, but if the deposits were less, it could only mean one thing…the store was in financial trouble.
After making sure Joelle was fine, he called the store, relieved when his uncle answered the phone.
“Hey, it’s Caleb.”
“Good afternoon. Is something wrong? You don’t normally call in, so I’m a little surprised to hear from you.” They weren’t close, but they were family. And if it hadn’t been for his uncle, Caleb might not have been able to keep the family business going after Lauren died.
“There’s seems to be a problem at the bank. To make a long story short, my power got turned off because there’s not enough money to pay the bills. What’s going on at the store? The lady at the bank said the deposits are way down and not enough to cover my expenses.” Caleb stopped pacing long enough to gaze out at the empty pasture. Miles and miles of fields and property that once brought him solace, but now mocked him because of the expense it cost him to keep the place.
“I was hoping things wouldn’t come to this point, but I just don’t know what else to do,” Uncle Bill said. The comment threw Caleb for a loop because it almost sounded like his uncle knew there was an issue…and hadn’t said a word to him.
“You know there’s a problem? I’m still the owner of the store and have a right to know what’s happening,” Caleb said, unhappy with the turn of events.
“Business is off. Way off. And I’ve not said anything because I keep hoping to get the store back on track. I’m trying, just not with much success. Yet. I’m curious though, how is it you weren’t aware? Don’t you even balance your checkbook anymore?” he asked, shifting the topic to Caleb’s shortcomings.
“No, not really. I just set everything up to autopay. You make the deposits; the auto drafts pay the bills. End of story.” In hindsight, it wasn’t the smartest plan. Or it would have been if he’d at least kept tabs on the situation. Early on, just getting up and through the day had taken all his energy and willpower, his focus on Joelle.
“It’s past time you started joining the real world again. You can’t hole up at the house with Joelle forever. What happens when she goes to school?” Uncle Bill asked.
All valid points.“You’re right. And it doesn’t look like I have that luxury anymore, does it?”
“I assume you have money from Lauren’s insurance policy. Maybe you can use that to tide you over? And maybe it’s time to consider selling the store.”
“No. The insurance money is for Joelle’s education. I’ve got some emergency money I can deposit in the bank, but it won’t last long. And selling the store is out of the question. It’s been in the family for generations, and I won’t let my father down.” He’d been groomed to take over the place, but it happened far sooner than planned. His parents’ deaths were unexpected and heartbreaking. And then Lauren joined them in heaven, leaving him alone to raise Joelle and pray he made all the right decisions. It was a tough job and every day he faced the fear he would make a mistake.Like the one with Lauren.
“You might not have a choice, I’m sorry to say. Unless you can drum up more business. Competition is stiff and costs are rising.”
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. His uncle’s advice made sense…but how could he focus on the store and take care of Joelle at the same time? “Okay, thanks.”
His uncle never married and never had children and wasn’t a likely source for advice, but Pastor Kyle was another story entirely. Caleb called the church and was relieved to hear the Pastor was available. He trusted the man as a leader of the community, and a leader for the health and well-being of the people’s spirituality and faith.
