Getting your own back...

[Smiffy49 590]

Many years ago in the early 70's, my then girlfriend rented a room on Wilford Road, West Bridgford.

The room was effectively one of the upper bedrooms of her house and had a side room forming a kitchen area.

The old lady asked for six months rent in advance to secure the two rooms.

My girlfriend managed to get the money together and moved in the following week.

At first the old lady seemed quite friendly and looked a little like the lady in the movie "The Ladykillers" She had very strict house rules including, no overnight visitors, no music and no exotic cooking to mention just a few.

She would hoover the landing whenever it was time for me to leave and would always (I am told) knock on the door at some unearthly hour to "check if everything was ok"

After about three months she announced that she needed the room back (within two weeks) as a former University friend needed it urgently.

My girlfriend said she would reluctantly do that, but wanted the balance of the money she had given to her paid back.

The old lady said she would pay it back the day after she moved out.

Both of us being not very experienced in life and fully aware of the way some people are, she agreed.

The day after moving out she went back for the balance but was told in a very rude manner that she could not have the money back due to problems with the fridge. Apparently it was not working and blamed her for the problem.

Later that evening, after work, I went round to confront her and asked to look at the fridge.

We went in and I saw straight away that she had not switched it back on. A quick flick of the switch and hey presto...

My girlfriend asked for her money again but was told to come back at the weekend.

Delay followed delay and still she would not pay up. After about the sixth visit she said that there was a problem with the kitchen light, caused by us !

I said I would come around the following evening to sort it out.

Next day I went back to have a look at the problem on the basis that she would hand over the money.

The light fitting was one of those circular fluorescent types and you had to unscrew a centre piece to lower the cover down.

I found a loose wire and solved the problem in seconds.

While she had gone down stairs I took some pork sausages out of my bag and carefully arranged them around the perimeter of the cover.

Screwing the cover back on I switched the light on just as she came back into the room. You couldn't tell they were there - great !

She never did pay the balance back and being fairly young we did not know who to approach about getting it back.

This was around the middle of June and as the hot Summer moved on we could only image the smell.

Felt guilty for a while, but she deserved it !

Smiffy

[FLY2 10,108]

I drove vans for a tight wad of a boss at a firm near Grantham in the late 90's. If I payed road tolls, parking fees or had to get extra fuel, it was a hell of a job getting him to pay me out of the petty cash. Also, on a vehicle with no tachometer, I often drove for many hours before having a break. Some days I didn't get a lunch break at all, so I claimed 1/2 an hour overtime. He refused to pay me, so one day I was sent to a firm in Stamford that had promised him about 80 standard pallets. When I got there, they were having a clear out so they loaded about 120 standards on the wagon and about 90 Euros on the trailer. I pulled into a pallet depot on the A1 and sold the Euros.

I got £185 which I pocketed.

Theft....... No way, the boss only expected 80 standards and he got 120 so he was pleased.

He continued to refuse to pay for worked breaks so I rushed to get my deliveries / collections done then took it easy. If I was far away, I'd dawdle back in order to get some genuine overtime.

He moaned if I refuelled on the motorway as it was expensive so I had a 15 gallon canister strapped to the back of the cab which was full for emergencies. I was once delayed in Tiverton where I was queuing for fuel behind loads of pensioners at a supermarket for cheap fuel. He moaned about my late arrival back at the depot. So every time I passed my own home I offloaded the contents of the emergency container into my own pick-up truck.

There's always a way of getting ones own back !

[FLY2 10,108]

The boss got one on me one Friday. I done a trip in the van to Blackburn and got back thinking I'd have an early lunch then an easy afternoon. How wrong could I be. Machinery for the Isle of Grain in Kent to be there by 3.30pm. Friday afternoon, I ask you.

No lunch, off in set and was there in good time. Coming back was easy and stopped at South Mimms Truckstop for poached eggs on toast. I pulled in for a rest around Baldock and fell asleep. I made it back at 8.30pm and noticed the boss was still in. I thought he'd moan at me for being late, but just as I clocked off, he came out of the office and said "Well done, I didn't expect you back for ages yet"

Damn I thought, I could have had another half hours kip. Still, at least he was happy for once.

[FLY2 10,108]

Just incase anyone thought I drove around all day kipping in lay-bys, I've found my notes whilst clearing out some old paperwork.

Nov 1996.

Fri Nov 1st Ilfracombe 3.5hrs o/t.

Sat 2nd Loughborough 4 hrs o/t.

Mon. 4th Oakham, Loughborough , South Shields. 2.5 hrs o/t

Tue. 5th Ibstock, Atherstone, Tamworth, Chase Terrace (Cannock) 1.5 hrs o/t

Wed. 6th Oakham x2 , Leicester ,Hinkley, Coventry, Reddich. 1.5 hrs o/t

Thu. 7th Oakham, Fleckney, Warrington, Chase Terrace, Tamworth 2.0 hrs o/t

Fri. 8th Ilfracombe 4.5hrs o/t

Sat. 9th Newmarket 4.5hrs o/t

Mon. 11th Milton Keynes, Spalding, Tallington 1.0 hrs o/t

Tue. 12th Loughborough , Leics, Woodford Halse, Stamford, Oakham 2.5hrs o/t

Wed. 13th Corby, Kettering , Desborough, Oakham, Ashwell 1.0hrs o/t

Thu. 14th Consett, Washington , South Shields, Sunderland 3.5hrs o/t

Fri. 15th Ilfracombe 3.25hrs o/t

Sat. 16th Loughborough 2.5hrs o/t

Mon. 18th Scunthorpe, Hull, York, Oakham 1.5hrs o/t

Tue. 19th Birmingham ,Coventry , Tamworth, Hinkley, Melton Mowbray 1.75hrs o/t

Wed. 20th Oakham, Letchworth, Huntingdon, South Luffenham 1.5hrs o/t

Thu. 21st Oakham x2, Loughborough, South Shields 2.0hrs o/t

Fri. 22nd Ilfracombe 4.25hrs o/t

Sat. 23rd

Mon. 25th Wakefield, Oakham Loughborough ,Spalding, Sleaford. 1.5hrs o/t

Tue. 26th Corby, Wellingborough , Tottenham, Watford 1.0hrs o/t

Wed. 27th Oakham x2, Sheffield, Tamworth 1.5hrs o/t

Thu. 28th Attenborough , Alfreton, Hucknall, Grantham, Spalding 1.5hrs o/t

Fri. 29th Ilfracombe 3.5hrs o/t

Sat. 30th Oakham 3.0hrs o/t

As you can see, plenty of o/t but very hard work.