Untangled 13: Cancer

He said, “My business partner, Rick, faked his death to swindle our clients we owed work to, and now both his wife and I are being sued and Rick is nowhere to be found. My checking account and passport have been frozen so that I don’t leave the country. I’m emailing my attorney now to see what we can do. This is the worst possible time! I was looking at a ring at Tiffany’s for you. I have to go into the city tomorrow for court and a doctor’s appointment—they think the cancer has spread.”

Needless to say, I forgot all about the 50-gallon tote in my daughter’s closet. I couldn’t believe how much drama he had in his life seemingly all the time. I was now worried about cancer and a lawsuit. I couldn’t sleep that night. I just wanted to go back to life before this man crashed through the front door of my life and demanded a front row seat. The occasional laugh, household help and company were just not worth it.

The next day, he asked if he could take my credit card to put gas in my car and cover parking. All of his accounts were frozen, he said I can see the money I just can’t touch it until this whole thing is resolved. He promised that as soon as the lawsuit was resolved, he would pay the card off. I reluctantly agreed and gave him my Discover card, which had a $5,000 limit.

When I got to work the next day, I told my client Sarah what was happening. Sarah said, “Why do you feel like any of this is your business?”

I told her, “I can’t just walk away from someone who’s doing so horribly.”

She replied, “You don’t owe him anything, and he’s probably lying.”

That was the first time I had even considered that possibility. Who in the world would lie about having cancer or being sued? I knew he lied, but I thought it was about small, insignificant things—not something like that. I mean, what had I done to deserve this? I’d been nothing but encouraging and accommodating.

I decided not to listen to Sarah. I made the decision to help him get on his feet. I didn’t believe in kicking a man while he was down. I wanted to see him cancer-free and back traveling the world like his Facebook page alluded to.

When he picked me up from work, I knew something was horribly wrong. So, I began to pry. “What happened at court? At the doctor’s office? Tell me something!”

He pulled onto a side street, stared straight ahead, and said, “The cancer has progressed. It’s now in my brain and is stage 4.”