Why

Well after work I headed over to Firestone to have them OK my tires for the trip to Florida. All is good, and that little nick I was worried about is fine. They said it was just a cosmetic issue, not related to the tire's performance.
I was at the mall, so I decided to go over to Kohl's and see if I could get Matthew one more pair of shorts since we found out last night he only has one pair right now.
Matthew called while I was browsing. Here is what I can recollect from our conversation:

"I'm in Kohl's still, searching for you some shorts"
"That's not a good idea"
"No? Why?"
"Because we don't have any money"
"Are you okay?"
"I had a really good day, until this last part of it"
"Okay..."
"Well, I will see you when you get home"

My heart sunk to a depth I didn't know existed. If Matthew was being serious about money, that means something bad happened at work.
I think I prayed a few dozen Our Fathers and Hail Marys on the way home, I didn't even bother with the radio.
When I got home it was confirmed. He had been fired. Fired for not keeping a binder he had only been trained to do two weeks prior. It was quite petty of them. His coworkers agreed.
He doesn't know if they will pay for all of his vacation time or sick time he had accrued. 2 days before his birthday. The day I was mailing our very first ever house payment.
I feel so sick, and so sad for him. I really got the impression he had found his niche at The Villas. Everyone seemed so happy, and got along so well. He never even called in sick.
So now he will have to start the grueling process all over again. Go on Un-employment and update his resume. I am already fearing the worst, because with the economic fears right now any employer that might want an apartment maintenance supervisor will not want to pay what we had been accustomed to getting from this past job.
We've weathered this before, and each time it has been hard, but a blessing worth suffering through.
It seems Matthew's field has a prevalence of people willing to stab you in the back rather than looking anyone in the eye. He has seen many people come and go while working alongside him, and above him. It is a truly "American" phenomenon. They use you until they stop wanting to pay for your skills. Then they fire you and hire someone less skilled, and demanding less money.
If I weren't part of the Teamster's Union I know I would have also had similar experiences. We just thought Steven D. Bell would be such a great company for him to be with. They seemed to truly care. It was an illusion.
Matthew will miss his coworkers, and I will miss seeing them too as often as I did.
I made myself a sandwich and brought him the package of Soft Batch cookies and turned on Police Academy on HBO. I came to blog. Hopefully this night won't be too pitiful.


Please pray for Matthew and I.

The weekend vacation is also up in the air, but I am still praying.