Working as a contractor, you get used to different jobs, different bosses, and the occasional bit of chaos. But this job? Wow. This one had a twist I didn’t see coming.

I was working on a project in some backwoods county facility, so remote that it felt like you’d driven off the map completely. The boss, Steve, had this great idea.

“Let’s get some tacos for breakfast,” he said. “Like for the entire staff.”

“Okay, not a problem,” I said.

The staff had been letting us use their equipment, among other things, for free all week. And it seemed simple enough. He gave me the green light to handle it by myself.

So, I did.

“Is there anything to worry about? In terms of costing, I mean?” I asked Steve.

“No, just go for it, Jackson,” he said. “They’ve been helping us out, so we’ll cover it. No problem.”

I went all out. These weren’t some drive-thru tacos either. They were the proper good stuff, with all the added sides. We really wanted to thank the staff, so this was a perfect way to do it.

Also, it wasn’t my money. So, hundreds of dollars’ worth of tacos seemed like a pretty good deal. Steve had given me the verbal approval I needed, and we had a solid working relationship.

What could go wrong?

Well, it turns out, everything.

During the rest of my time there, Steve had me running around getting food for everyone. One day it was a box of donuts, the next day it was fresh fruit. The day after, it was chocolate croissants and turkey sandwiches.

“You guys just love to spoil us!” Gloria, one of the staff, said. “And we love this extra special treatment. It’s good to feel valued.”

“You should have gotten it in writing.”

When I submitted my expenses at the end of the month, I wasn’t expecting any issues.

I attached the receipts and my credit card statement, highlighting all the food runs I had been on for work. I thought that I’d get my reimbursement, no problem.

But then the email came through: Declined.

I thought it was a mistake at first, so I called Steve, trying to keep my cool.

“Hey, Steve,” I started. “I just wanted to check in about the food receipts. You know, the ones you said we could expense?”

Steve didn’t miss a beat.

“Really, Jackson?” he said. “You should have gotten it in writing.”

Those words hit like a slap. My blood simmered, and I knew that Steve had just made a big mistake.

Honestly, I was stunned. I mean, seriously? We’d had an agreement. Those tacos weren’t even my idea! None of the food runs were! Steve would just call me if I wasn’t in the office or walk up to me if I was on-site.

“Hey, Jackson,” he would say. “Don’t you want to be the hero of the day and do a food run?”

And of course, I would want to be a hero.

But still, I was stunned. I tried to reason with him, but he brushed it off like it was nothing.

“Should’ve gotten it in writing,” was all he had to say over and over again.

I wasn’t furious. Not yet. But I could feel it building. It was Steve’s smug, careless attitude that set me off. I mean, who did this guy think he was? He had said one thing, and suddenly he was all nonchalant and smirking all the time.

He knew exactly what he had done. But still, I made a mental note. Steve had cost me around $400, and I wasn’t going to forget it.

Fast forward a couple of months. I had moved on to other projects when, out of the blue, Steve called me. This time, he wasn’t sounding smug at all. He was just a desperate man who needed something.

“Hey, Jackson,” he said over the phone. “We’ve got a big project coming up. A new client. Huge deal for us and big money. We really need you on board. Nights, weekends, just working until the project is over. Whatever it takes. Can you do it?”

I leaned back in my chair, nibbling on a bowl of peanuts, listening to him ramble on about how crucial this job was and how much they needed me. Steve was basically begging by the end of the conversation, which only made the decision that much easier.

I knew right then and there that I wasn’t going to do it. Despite how great the money sounded, I wasn’t going to work for Steve.

I played along, haggled over the rate a bit, and made it seem like I was all in. Finally, we settled on a start date for the following month. Steve sounded relieved, but I already had other plans for him.

A couple of days before the project was set to kick off, Steve called while I was at the gym.

“Jackson,” he said immediately. “We’re all good to go, yes?”

“You should have gotten it in writing, Steve,” I said.

He was all business this time and much more confident that he didn’t have to beg.

“The paperwork for the new project’s on its way,” he said. “Check your emails so we can get everything sorted. If you want physical copies, just let me know. I’ll send them over with Rudy.”

I let him finish his speech, and when he was done, I delivered my well-rehearsed line with all the calm I could muster.

“Yeah, Steve,” I said, grinning to myself. “About this project… I’ve decided that I’m not going to work on this project after all.”

“What?” Steve’s tone went from surprised to angry in a matter of seconds. “Jackson, you agreed to this weeks ago! We’re counting on you! The entire team is aware that you’ll be handling this. What the hell do you mean that you’re not doing it?”

I bit my tongue to keep from laughing.

“You should have gotten it in writing, Steve,” I said.

Silence. Three minutes of blissful silence. I could hear him trying to process what I’d just said. Well, they weren’t new words to him, were they? They were the same words he’d thrown at me when he refused to cover the food expenses.

Now it was his turn to eat those words.

Soon, the silence was broken.

“Are you kidding me, Jackson?” he exploded. “You said that you’d work this job! We need you! We are counting on you!”

I kept my cool.

“You should’ve gotten it in writing,” I repeated, slow and steady. I was speaking to Steve like he wouldn’t understand what I was saying. I knew that would anger him more.

Then he lost it. I mean, he completely lost it. He was practically screeching through the phone, going off about deadlines, clients, and how screwed the team was without me.

Too bad.

I didn’t raise my voice, I didn’t argue. I just let him rage on while I sat on a bench at the gym, feeling like I’d finally evened the score between us.

“Look, Steve,” I said. “You’re just wasting my time. I told you that I won’t do it. So nothing you say will change my mind. If you were serious about it, then you would have given it to me in writing. Like you said to me the last time.”

“Jackson, you’re talking to me like I’m a fool, and I don’t appreciate it.”

“Bye, Steve,” I said, ending the call.

I knew he and his team would be scrambling. This wasn’t just some small project; it was pretty big. And they were desperate to impress. And now they were down a key contractor. Too bad.

Well, good luck to Steve and his gang for finding a last-minute replacement.