Returned the Three Boys

I returned the three boys to the 88 year old woman. I called her first. She is sick. She asked if I could pick up some food for her puppy. Then she asked if I could get her some peanut butter, too. So I did. I stopped in at Freddies and got her these things on the way out.

My right knee is killing me. It's swollen. I can't walk easily right now.

She gave a $50 donation. Minus the $10 I spent on the groceries, that's a $40 donation. To help with four cats, that's adequate.

I got home and the mattress lady called. She'd called a couple days back, too, about maybe buying some discount flea treatment from me, for her flea ridden cats. I said I didn't have any to sell her and had no plans to buy more online and that the place I once bought it online, that was cheap, isn't cheap anymore.

But she called again today, hoping I'd change my mind. I told her all I'd been through lately, with people just kind of leeching off me, or trying to, like circling sharks, thinking after all the stories, she wouldn't ask, but she did. I said "no".

Then I have a knock on my door. I never get visitors so I couldn't figure out who that might be. It was the old couple I trapped six cats for last fall. I'd loaned them two cages also for several months. They didn't want the cats back, but I held out and wouldn't take them. They found a home for one. Now he's wanting them gone again, but he didn't come out and say it. He tried to feel me out and I tried to keep that question from ever coming out of his mouth, by telling him how I"ve had more and more cats end up here, and that I can't afford them and can't find them homes.

He talked about how they've called SafeHaven several times and get put off about taking any of them. He mentioned they send SafeHaven money every month. This made me angry, that they would show up here, wanting more help from me, but they donate to SafeHaven. It gave me the gumption for a definitive "no", however, on taking any in. I told them, if they have donated for so long to SafeHaven, then SafeHaven should help them find homes for these cats one by one. I said you could always donate to Poppa Inc., the nonprofit that did help you. He started to say he's told his wife that would be the right thing to do, but didn't want information on how to do it.

I said "goodbye" and hopefully have closed the door on that. They're nice, but for gosh sakes, I'm the one who helped them out, and they're donating to Safehaven. For gosh sakes. There is right and there is wrong. And that's wrong.

I think I am getting better at saying "no" when I need to.