Loose Ends

I applied at the NatWest for a four hundred pound loan, there was nothing left and we needed cash for the first few weeks in Canada. It was a leap of faith by the Speke branch loan manager, who knew where I was going, she asked me would I pay it back, and I promised I would.

I had taken the XR2 to the agent in Manchester and the adjusted price covered the Ford Credit loan buyout, I walked away with eighty one pounds and that was that. It had been a great car, not memorable from an event standout, except for the time a police car chased me into the APPH car park.

I had a balance on my Barclaycard and I still owed money to Lancashire Council for a second year grant at Edge Hill College that I wangled when I started at APPH, those debts would be paid off in the first eight months of life in Canada.

The mortgage, well, I sent a letter to the bank to tell them I was walking away from it and on the 3rd of January I sent them the keys with a cover letter, I felt no moral objections to it, my reasoning at the time were that the bank would not lose out as the house was worth more than when I bought it and, in addition, I had paid them a mortgage for almost five years.

In retrospect it was quite an irresponsible thing to do.

The approval of the loan from NatWest was a lifesaver, it was a reminder that banks are not always the bad guys, I would keep my promise to pay it off and actually received a thank you letter from the lady.