I am in a very difficult and precarious position.

I have been working for a little boarding school for 2 years.  It is owned by a long-time friend of mine.  I have known her (and her husband) for over 20 years. 

Bottom line:  I have not been paid in two months AND she owes me 3 months back pay for last semester.  Am I a chump?

I was promised this would not happen again this semester AND that I would be paid back promptly for what I was owed.   I was getting paychecks for August and September...then came October.  November.  December?

What this boils down to is that she has a $10K involuntary loan from me. 

I have had a great deal of clarity over the last two weeks.

The straw that broke the camel's back today:  the dinner cook quit.  No one called me.  I came in at 3 and there was no cook.  I called the school secretary who had not come in today (sick child) and she told me.  It's 3 PM--I climb back into my car and RACE to Cub to pick up dinner.  Thankfully, I had some money left over from the weekend meal allowance.  I made dinner for the students (16 of them).  As I am making the dinner, the principal comes in and asks me if I've done the December "meal assistant schedule" as I'm hurriedly baking brownies, sauteing chicken boobs, cutting up lettuce, slicing tomatoes, boiling water for the pasta, AND MAKING LEMONADE!!!  I'LL PUT IT ON MY LIST!!!

Tonight I go to drive two of our students to orchestra--a tire on the van is very very low.  I have to take the kids in my car.  My gas.  My car.  Roundtrip from St. Paul to S. Minneapolis.

I get back from orchestra and the other reslife person says that the girls' dorm's lights are out.  They've blown a fuse.  I go downstairs (it's a 120-year old building on Cathedral Hill) and try to screw in a new fuse--it sparks.  GREAT.  It is the right voltage.  Now the girl's are WHINING.  I am ready to tear my hair out.  The other reslife person leaves at 10.  I want to leave.

This was just today.

Do you understand my margarita fixation now?   Anyone??