Hey everybody. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, but I was away and only got back a couple of days ago. I know a few of you have been wondering what the latest was regarding my employment situation. So here is it...

I decided not to think about work for the entire time I was gone. To that extent, I assumed that if the boss was interested in whether I was going to work Wednesday (the day the store was to open after Passover), he could call or text me. Since Wednesday came and went, I again assumed he wasn't counting on me being there.

Well, I decided to go over there today, specifically because I knew that the co-worker who I can not stand would not be there. She doesn't work on Fridays. But when I arrived there, at around 11:00 am, the doors were locked and the sign was turned off.

Strange, I thought. The hours of operation on Fridays are from 10am to 2pm. Even when we were hit by a huge snowstorm, the store remained open. I then called my ex who then told me she heard a rumor that he store closed down!

Gee thanks for letting me know. You would think, considering she and I talk at least once a day, that she would have let me know sooner.

Anyway, I came home and I called the Rabbi at the CRC. Unfortunately, I had to leave a message. My next move was to call someone I know at the grocery store adjacent to the restaurant. She is a very sweet lady that I was always very kind to me. What she said should not have surprised me.

Apparently, on Wednesday, some of the employees arrived to work to find no one there. The owner of the grocery (who owns the building the cafe is in) then let them in and found the equipment gone and the cash register emptied. Then, he discovered that the rent check my boss wrote came back due to the account being closed. Anything of value had been removed over the holiday.

So what now?

Look, I know the boss can be quite unstable. His actions leading up to the past few weeks told me that. What surprises me is how passionate he was about fairness and responsibility. He often lambasted me about the "greedy right wing who care nothing for the everyday man." Well, like a good liberal, he simply makes a huge mess and leaves it to others to clean up after him.

I know I can sue him, or even bring him to a Jewish court (Bais Din) to attempt to recoup the money he owes me. But getting even a penny is now very unlikely. The fact that he owes his landlord for the bounced check and, I learned, bounced a large check to the produce company, means that the chances of there being any money left to pay me are between slim and none (closer to none).

In a certain way, I suppose I should be happy that he failed. He treated me poorly and let others do the same. But I'm not. I really didn't pan on returning to work there, after all that happened. And I care even less about some of the employees. But it's always sad when these things happen. It is a huge embarrassment to those employees who were not told and now have lost their jobs. I have no doubt that they will be very weary of working for a Jewish employer again.

Also, there were others in the Jewish community who were also let down. There were a number of catered events planned. I have no idea if these people will know that no one will be taking care of them.

As for me, I'm not worried. I'm reasonably intelligent and capable, regardless of what a minimum wage waitress thinks of me. I still receive disability and even though I'm not out $1,000, I'll be okay.

I guess Karma really is a bitch, huh?