The Tax Man Cometh

This is so hard for me.

Taxes have been a cross every year of my marriage. Money, the having and handling of same, was NOT a strong point with Tom and/or with me. If there was a stupid way to do anything regarding money... that's what we generally did.

But, for whatever reason, Tom thought doing the taxes was Man's Work so every year he set about figuring out what was what and I would cringe in a corner 'till he was done. Truth is, I never had an ounce - not even a whit - of confidence in his 'goes-intos'.

There has never been a year, EVER, that we got a refund. That doesn't make sense. And, beyond that, we always had to pay!!? Ridiculous amounts of money some years (too MANY years!), lesser amounts others but we always ended up in the red According To Tom.

I so wanted to call in a professional but it would have crushed him had he known my true feelings so I let it roll and quietly shook my head year after year after year.

Well... he's dead and H and R Block got the chance to step up.

I went to the local mall and brought my trusty shoebox full of Important Crap. Envelopes I'd never looked in but which said, "Important Tax Documents Inside", some insurance stuff, the paperwork from our new car... I don't know what-all but it's what I had and so it went.

The main thing for you to know is that I WENT. I took charge. I sat right there beside the tax guy while he opened every envelope, separated the wheat from the chaff, asked me questions I didn't want to answer, typed in numbers I didn't want to see.... The desire for flight was raging in my chest all the while I answered politely or joked with him as he worked.

Ironically, I did NOT get the brightest bulb H and R Block had to offer. He was inept at using the computer, had to consistently re-type EVERYTHING he entered, and when he thought he was done no less that 15 error screens popped up necessitating going backwards again and again and again till they were finally eliminated and we saw the finished product.

That's when I burst into tears.

It was seeing Tom's name there at the top of the form all so officially linked to mine and to our life in paradise.

Gone. What a bummer.

THEN, clearly adding insult to injury, the bottom line said I owed $230.00. I had to laugh; at least Tom was vindicated - he's not doing the math and still money is owed!!?

Whatever.

It cost $160.00 for the doing but (and there's always that Big But!) for $30.00 more I could buy INSURANCE against any mistakes made by my trusty H and R Block guy whom I didn't trust at all so of course I scarfed that right up!!

$190.00. And me, virgin no more.