Don't Get Mad, Get Even (standard:Satire, 4997 words)
Author: Steve Remington	Added: Sep 26 2003	Views/Reads: 4367/2880	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Ever wish you could get back at someone who duped you? Read how a retiree couple 'evened the score' in dramatic fashion. They are modern day Robin Hoods but they are the beneficiaries. Read, chuckle and ENJOY!

DON'T GET MAD, GET EVEN 

By 

Steve Remington 

DON'T GET MAD, GET EVEN 

It took Mary Ann and Dennis just a little over three months to take
their retirement project from idea to fruition but they had plenty of 
spare time. They were essentially retired but not as comfortably as 
they would have preferred. 

Sure, they were living in Florida like tens of thousands of other
retirees but their finances were thin and getting thinner. Dennis, 
forced into early retirement by a corporate merger, thought he had a 
significant nest egg when he retired at 56 but inflation and stock 
market losses were rapidly eroding all the dreams that he and Mary Ann 
had for their retirement. Mary Ann had invested a sizable chunk of her 
meager retirement savings into founding a small Internet business but 
the return was marginal. 

They had just come home from grocery shopping on an unseasonably hot and
humid November day. After storing the purchases, they sat on their 
patio enjoying a cold iced tea and discussing thoughts about Christmas 
gifts for their grandsons, daughter-in-law and son. 

Mary Ann turned to Dennis and said, “Why don't we think about flying to
see them for Christmas?” 

Dennis responded dolefully, “A great idea but the budget won't handle
that plan very well. Since they got transferred to London, it is a bit 
beyond our means.” “Oh, Dennis, we have to do something to give our 
income a bit of a shot. I get angry sometimes when I realize how 
strapped we are.” 

Dennis thought for a moment and said, “Well, as my mother always said,
‘Don't get mad, get even.” 

“What does that mean?” she said in an increasingly angry tone. 

“Let me refill this iced tea and then I'll share an idea with you. Can I
refill yours, while I am going to the kitchen?” 

Returning to his chair and setting the refilled glasses on the patio
table, Dennis turned to Mary Ann and said, “I used that old adage that 
my mother used so often to kick off a discussion on an idea that has 
been forming in my mind for several days. Your suggestion about 
Christmas plans reminded me. Let me run this whole idea by you to see 
what you think. Let me start by mentioning a name . . . Skip Anderson.” 


“Skip Anderson!” she almost spat out the name. “He is a classic reason
why we have money problems. Talk about getting mad and getting even, 
that is a man that I would like to get even with.” 

“Exactly my point, we need to get even. We are simply too nice. I would
like to have the money that we invested in that worthless stock that he 
touted to us. He is a step inside the law. Then, how about Doug's Auto 
Repair over on Highland Avenue?” 

“That botched repair job on my car cost us $800 and then we got
blind-sided by his ‘automotive expert' in Small Claims Court and lost.” 


“Here's another one - - - Alan Denman.” 

“The guy I worked with at WZZN? What about him?” 

“Remember?  .  . He sold us his big screen TV for $400 when he moved to
LA and the damned thing was already shot according to the repairman. We 
just quit chasing him and kissed off the $400.” 

“Dennis, I see your pattern here. Just these three guys have cost us
over $4,000 but what is your point? I get mad just thinking about these 


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