Okay, get this:

When I owned a shop, I used my personal credit card a few times, so as to have more buying power. These aren't the real numbers, but let's say the store had $10,000 worth of credit, I had a limit of $7,500 on my card, so there you go. I only ever used about $3,000 a month on my own card, so all was well and good.

Well.

Thanks to the new owner blocking the shop's bank account, the last check I wrote for business charges on my personal card was returned. Owing to incredible bad timing on my part, the check I sent for about $400 worth of personal purchases, on my own personal credit card, was also returned. (I did not realize a direct debit I had called to stop went out anyway.) The credit card company has a rule that two bad checks in one month mean the account will be closed.

Naturally I'm furious. This will reflect badly on my credit report. I am mad at myself for making the extra payment for my own $400 worth of purchases. I'm mad because I didn't even need to make that payment, I just wanted the balance to be zero. If I hadn't made a second bad payment, then I would not have lost the card and had a damaging line on my credit report. One mistake on my part, on my own card - I could deal with that. I cannot deal with the other bounced check.

Why, you ask? Why am I so angry about this bad business check? Why don't I just think, " Oh, mistakes are made, that's how you learn?" This is why:

I am pretty annoyed at my former business partner. The reason the new owner blocked the account, leading to a bounced check was because if her. She was supposed to open the store on Tuesday. She was not there at all that day. The new owner could not reach her at all that day, and neither could I. The following day, Wednesday, the same thing. No call, no show.

The last we knew, she went to a party out of town on Saturday night. The new owner was rather worried - she left town on Saturday night, and was not heard from for four days. So, he blocked the bank account, so she could not be forced to take money out of the bank and give it to her "kidnappers" or something. I don't know the real reasons, nor do I need to. The new owner wanted to block the account because his partner vanished, and he did.

Now, I am left with a little nightmare to untangle - I need to write to the credit card company and explain what happened. I need to convince the bank manager to write a letter stating that I did not know the account was blocked and had no control over the bounced check, and forward that too. I need to ask the new owner for a new check, from a new account, to bring my balance to zero, which is one of the provisions of me maybe getting the account open again. I need to do all this as soon as possible, so I don't get a bad mark on my credit score.

If I do see a reflection on my score, then I need to write to Equifax, explain the situation forward all the letter I hope to get, and chase down some more rabbits. This is a real pain in the neck. I sold the shop so I could take time for my children, not so I could spend hours on the phone and writing letters!

I called the woman at the shop, told her about this problem, and to call the bank manager. She said she would. I should hope so! Do you know the reasons she gave for not opening the store for two days with no call and no explanation? First, she was getting a mattress delivered, and her second reason was she was worn out and needed a day.

I can't even begin to try to understand. All I can do is work on making it all better, which is what I do best, thank God.