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another blow - knock out punch?


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Last night at Maui Pasta, while I was starting my teaching at the local university, my evening class, I got a call from Maui Pasta that the fire department was called, due to electrical burning smell and a very hot wall around the electrical panel.  I left class to find the fire department had shut off power.  "Luckily" we avoided a full out fire - my staff did.  When the electrician showed up, he gave the ok to turn on partial power, but the breakers that were fried, and not tripped properly, cannot go back on, including our pasta maker and chef's refrigerator, and display refrigerator, the main components to our business.  We have a FULL walk in full of products to go out for delivery.  We managed to save that, 

The landlords want us out, the legal battle is stewing, and now he has his reason.  I've talked to a cousin who is a lawyer in New York, because our lawyer is a friend - a parent from my daughter's youth - is not equipped for heavy litigation, and the lawyer who is quite brilliant to handle the June 5 Eviction Trial we are fighting will cost $10,000 for a retainer.  My cousin says all sorts of stuff we need to do -- file an "order to show cause" for a "constructive eviction" because we are now unable to run the business.

I've been sick in the bathroom all morning.  I have no idea what we will do.  I'm almost done with the fight. It looms too large.  I will have to face the landlord this morning.  His only defense will be to blame us, ours to blame him, and we are so out of money to fight this.

Please hold me and Maui Pasta in your thoughts.  Trying so hard to hold on through this nightmare. So much for saving Ron's legacy.

Patty

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Oh Patty,

I am so sorry to hear this latest news.  There are no words.  All I keep saying to myself is when is enough, enough! I can only imagine how very stressful this is for you.  I know how much you want this to work.  I know this is not only about you but also about what others have invested in Maui Pasta.  I continue to keep you in my thoughts. :o

Anne

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Sometimes when it seems the darkest, Ron's dream transforms itself into his love for you.

It is you dear love that keeps his legacy alive. It resides inside you and shall last forever.

Perhaps even in Maui Pasta Arizona.

:wub:

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Patty, my heart just hurts for you. I'm so sorry. I cannot imagine how defeated you must feel. I don't know when or how, but I hope and pray that, with Steve's love, wisdom, experience and support, you will find a way out of this that one day brings you the peace and happiness that you so need and deserve. 

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Oh Patty, I am so sorry!  It's hard to think right now, there's too much stress, too much battle.  I know this:  Ron is proud of you, you have fought the good fight, you have poured your heart and soul into saving this business, neglecting yourself when you needed to sleep, needed nurtured.  I am praying your next step will come to you and you will know what the next thing to do is.  As for your landlord, his karma is not looking desirable right now...I can't help but feel he doesn't matter, he's a little lizard in the scheme of things even if he makes quite a ruckus.

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No words of wisdom.  (Not sure I ever had any wisdom for much anyhow.)  All I can say is this "what Marty said" and "what Steve said."  In the meantime (I have watched too much Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones" and all the superhero movies,) and I want to tap into my superpower and come take care of all of this.  Then, I remember that I am simply an overweight "ole" woman that has no wisdom or superpower, and you Patty Dear, you are the closest thing to a superpower I know of, but even superpowers get tired.

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On ‎04‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 1:21 PM, Patty65 said:

Last night at Maui Pasta, while I was starting my teaching at the local university, my evening class, I got a call from Maui Pasta that the fire department was called, due to electrical burning smell and a very hot wall around the electrical panel.  I left class to find the fire department had shut off power.  "Luckily" we avoided a full out fire - my staff did.  When the electrician showed up, he gave the ok to turn on partial power, but the breakers that were fried, and not tripped properly, cannot go back on, including our pasta maker and chef's refrigerator, and display refrigerator, the main components to our business.  We have a FULL walk in full of products to go out for delivery.  We managed to save that, 

The landlords want us out, the legal battle is stewing, and now he has his reason.  I've talked to a cousin who is a lawyer in New York, because our lawyer is a friend - a parent from my daughter's youth - is not equipped for heavy litigation, and the lawyer who is quite brilliant to handle the June 5 Eviction Trial we are fighting will cost $10,000 for a retainer.  My cousin says all sorts of stuff we need to do -- file an "order to show cause" for a "constructive eviction" because we are now unable to run the business.

I've been sick in the bathroom all morning.  I have no idea what we will do.  I'm almost done with the fight. It looms too large.  I will have to face the landlord this morning.  His only defense will be to blame us, ours to blame him, and we are so out of money to fight this.

Please hold me and Maui Pasta in your thoughts.  Trying so hard to hold on through this nightmare. So much for saving Ron's legacy.

Patty

I'm so sorry for what is happening to you.  I will hold you in my thoughts and I wish you well....Cookie

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Your thoughts and support help so much.  The ordeal cost us over $7,000 we don't have, that we can only add to the law suit we can't pay for.  The landlords sent an electrician that pulled out all sorts of breakers from the box, about 5, that were smoldering, and said, ok, you are good to go.  All our major equipment plugs were part of the damaged 5 breakers, and were of course still not working, and the landlords said their electrician said everything was fine, so anything else we wanted to do or fix was at our own expense.

So we got our own electrician quote, one with 32 years experience -- he said it would cost $1000 to replace the old, broken down panel and every single breaker. And we did not need a permit to do so.  We had to!  It was the only way to feel safe in the business. We could not open for 3 days. We lost a couple thousand dollars worth of products, a few thousand in take-out and retail sales, etc. etc.  I feel so walked all over, and like they would never, ever would have done that if Ron were here.  The anger overwhelmed me. I posed my finger over a scathing text back to them, but luckily I came to my senses and just deleted the message.  It would only damage our case, especially with what I wanted to write.  

I hold the anger in, the anger of all the injustice of Ron going, never reaching our dream... how hard he worked with no reward... how cruel it all was.  Then it starts to creep into my consciousness in the form of anger at the landlords.

Ron's love gave me confidence.  It radiated at me, it made me strong.  Maybe it is a strength I should have had on my own, but I hadn't had it on a personal level perhaps.  I was proud of his love, I was proud of what I accomplished and what we accomplished together.  He knew me SO well, he loved me, he knew how I thought, what I would do, we could finish each other's sentences.  Either one of us could start talking about the same idea the other was only thinking about.  There was a power to it all.  A depth to it, after all those years, even if 10 years is not a lot to have had together.

In losing it, my confidence in everything, how I do things, who I am to others, the future, my decisions, my work, my choices -- has plummeted.  And I hate to admit that, cus I know the people in my world will negate those thoughts...  and its NOT what I am fishing for... I'm not fishing at all.  I am just trying to understand why. Why. Why. Why. Why.  I am not a fearful feather, yet so often I feel like that inside now.  I can put on a good face at work most of the time these days, but so often my insides feel like they are crumbling as I look around this island, so strange, so alone here, so incomprehensible that he is not here with me to boost my soul that he knew so well. It is so hard to find again.

Thanks for listening to my ramble.

Patty

 

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Sometimes I wonder when all the bad will end for you and some good start to happen.  I think some good has entered your life with Steve and I pray that encourages you.  But I'd love to see some justice with your landlord, some vindication!  I would think a landlord would be responsible to furnish decent working electrical breakers, etc.!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just a small update.

The struggle to keep Maui Pasta alive in Hawaii appears to be coming to a sad and difficult end. The cost of the struggle is more than Patty can bear. In fact it would be beyond our means to fight on in this difficult and extremely expensive court battle. She is not a vindictive person but the landlord gets to have the wrath of Maui county descend upon him for his part in this saga. What hurts the most is having to tell her employees that the time has come and one in particular who helped Patty when the ambulance came to take Ron away never to return.  It has been all these events that has kept her from posting for even time to sleep has not been forthcoming.  She will get through this and knows you all care so when time permits she will post again. We are striving to keep Maui Pasta and Ron's dream alive by giving it new life here in Arizona. Some dreams are meant to keep and this is one of them. She fears the move and the struggle insurmountable. I see it as a cake walk though that is easy for me to say. I only see the work to be done. I don't have to have my heart torn out.

Nothing can be as hard as grief.      Nothing.

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My heart breaks for Patty and for all of those vested in Maui Pasta.  Will her partner make the move also?  It's very hard seeing the end of a business, much like a death.  I felt that way when my dream job ended...if it was still here I'd work into my 70s, I loved it so much, so I know even employees mourn the loss of a business they've loved.

I, too, am glad Patty has you to go through this with her.  I'm sure you'll be a help and comfort to her.

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You are so right, Kay. Losing a business or a job you love is indeed a significant loss, and one that is worthy of grief and mourning. I was devastated when, due to budget cuts, my hospice eliminated my position and its sponsorship of this very website. I'd been with that hospice for 17 years, and I loved every minute of my tenure there. Like you, I thought I'd be with that agency forever ~ and I certainly wasn't ready to retire.  :(

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  Like others have said I am so glad Steve is supporting you during this trying time. I cannot imagine how you must be struggling. Hugs. 

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Marty I get that. I can only imagine the loss and even though for you a new chapter began the sadness of leaving friends and this valley had to still hit you.  Patty has a new life awaiting her yet leaving is the hardest thing.  Kay, her partner Debbie is coming with her for she sees a new life for herself too. As the biggest investor in Maui Pasta Patty could never leave her "out to dry" and so that was her biggest fear and concerns. All things happen for a reason and it seems so interesting how this is all coming about.  At first Debbie feared my becoming close to Patty as a threat to take her away. She found reassurance in talking with Patty and I that that was just not going to happen. So she wants to come with and three heads are better than one. It also helps that her grandchildren live in Denver. I think it will be wonderful because every one of us cares about the other. In fact my front show room will have a deli case in it with a joint use of picture frames and pasta. And...that's just the beginning. How fun is that?  Kathy taught me how to see the joy in change and the wonder of possibility. She would be pleased to see this happening. And so would Ron. Indeed, so would he.

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Change is never easy, Steve ~ I suppose that is one of the greatest lessons in loss. But with faith, hope, love and a little help from our friends, we can rise from the ashes, look to the future, and discover all kinds of new possibilities. Again, I am so very grateful that you and Patty found each other ~ and I've no doubt that Kathy and Ron have a hand in all of this. 

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I'll add my deepest wishes that this all works out to a better conclusion than fighting a battle that only adding to the stress of Pattys grief.  So happy you found each other.  I used to wonder about the timing of things and came to it was just life doing its thing, but this battle of hers is too much given the circumstances.  My best to you both, I have a feeling once the logistics are done she will be free of at least one nightmare.

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