A Call From The Royal Bank

I got a phone call on Wednesday as we were driving through Banff National Park, into Kootenay National Park. It was a call I had been expecting, a call I had been very worried about. It was a call from RBC Visa, the credit card company to whom I am indebted something to the tune of $31,000 or more. I was very worried about what they might say or do when I could no longer make any payments to them. That day arrived about three weeks ago. This day, the phone call, was only a matter of time.

The young lady was very polite throughout the call. She started by reminding me that I was supposed to make a payment on my Visa card. I said "Yes, unfortunately that won't be possible." Then I gave her the full rundown on my personal and financial situation. As Katherine said, I unloaded my burden and gave it all to her. By the time I was done, after she had asked a few questions, it was clear to her that there was no money, that there would be no money, that I had outlived my savings.

I let her know that I wasn\t supposed to outlive my money, that I actually had a plan which involved my death, my estate, and some possibility of payment for creditors. Now, however, thanks to the vagaries of ALS and my unwillingness to die early, things were not working out well, at least not for RBC Visa. What is good fortune for me is bad fortune for them; I continue to live yet have no more money.

Then I asked the big question. "What can we do in this situation?" Of course I really meant what could the Royal Bank do. I'm certain she knew that. Her comment was that she would refer it to management who would call me back in a week. Most likely they would pass it over to collections and just write the whole thing off. She said they would probably not go after my home; they didn't hold the mortgage anyway,

After the call, I almost felt giddy. I laughed out loud. It was not a sense of good fortune so much as it was a relief from the stress. Debt is a burden; I have enough of those already. Whatever they do this week, whatever decision they make, it is out of my hands. Once again, as Katherine said, I shifted the burden from me to them. I'm pretty sure they can manage it a lot better than I can. Now I can get back to living, even if it is with ALS.