Competency

"When in panic, or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." -- Robert Heinlein

I got up this morning, and it was that most magical of days, "Pay Day." I came to my trusty computer and checked my bank balance to make sure my direct deposit went through. Just routine, right? Oh no. Nothing in my world is ever routine.

The money wasn't there. Few words in the English language will curdle the stomach like those four. I went to the central office to pick up the deposit voucher and I asked about it thinking perhaps I had the day wrong and the deposit wouldn't go through until tonight. No, no. It's supposed to be there.

I looked at my voucher and realized that my bank account number was off by one number. This is month two of my direct deposit, so how did I get my money last month? Apparently, my nice bank had sorted out their end and notified the central office that there was a problem. Our CO, of course, did nothing about it.

The upshot of all this is that my money was found, and the number problem is supposedly fixed, but my question remains. If you were in charge of making sure someone's meager, once-a-month paycheck arrived so they could pay bills, buy rice, or whatever, don't you think you'd try to be a little more on it? Don't you think you'd double check the account numbers, and if the bank sent a letter, don't you think you'd try to fix it?

I don't make very much. I am a teacher in Mississippi. We make less than EVERYBODY. By the time I get my paycheck, I am usually out of groceries and have college loan collection agents breathing down my neck. Forgive me if I get a little stressed out when my money isn't there when I need it. A little competency would go a long, long way towards making life less stressful.