It’s your daughter’s graduation from college! Finally, all your hard work has paid off. A secure future is made for her from your sweat and blood. That’s what a good parent does. You made sure that you gave her everything so that she would have all that she needed when the time of independence came in her life.
There you were with your family. You were discussing things that your daughter wanted to do after graduation when a thought came to you. It was time to announce the graduation gift that your daughter wanted three years ago—a vacation in the tropics for two weeks. It took you some time to save up for that but finally, you had enough money for the vacation. When you announced the surprise, your daughter hugged and kissed you. You swathe excitement in her eyes and that was very priceless.
Night time came and all of you decided to head back home. You just stopped by a local café to buy your favorite family blueberry cheesecake before making the turn. When you got home, you were surprised to hear your Great Dane barking from the porch. A foul odor reeked as you pulled up your driveway. When you turned on the floodlights to look at the lawn, it was flooded with the odorous liquid. It was the reason why your dog was going crazy. Your wife and daughter came out from inside the house to tell you about the backup of septic water in the drains and tub.
After a few minutes, your septic expert appeared with a couple of his men. Just one look told him that your leach bed has already failed for the last time and was in need of an immediate replacement. He said that it would cost somewhere between 6,000 -40,000 USD. Your jaws almost dropped to the ground. It was the cost of the graduation gift that you had planned for the following week. It was trouble for you. It would break your daughter’s heart if you cancel the trip but if you don’t have the leach bed replaced, your property is going to deteriorate and will be uninhabitable. You will even get complaints from everyone.
The moment your septic expert left, you have already made a decision. The leach field had to be replaced. You approached your daughter and talked to her. You explained how badly you needed a new leach bed. Your daughter was bewildered because you were apologizing for the cancelled vacation. She said that the house was more important and that it would bring her more joy if the house didn’t look and smell as bad anymore.
You must admit that this was your entire fault. Work was all that you thought about. Your wife had no idea about the proper care for the septic system because you were always the one who talked with the septic expert. The tank was not pumped on schedule so the sludge dispersed into the leach bed and clogged it. It failed to function efficiently and smoothly. That was the main reason why your leach bed needed replacement. Hopefully, you have learned your lesson.
Your daughter and wife approached you and told you that your sister was kind enough to accommodate you for a few weeks until the leach bed and the entire property was fully transformed back to its normal condition. It wasn’t healthy for you to stay there longer. Your Great Dane was already coughing so you had to bring him to the vet the next day as well. You apologized to everyone for the consequence of your neglect. Your daughter and wife hugged you and just told you that you could just have your vacation the following year if you wanted to. A smile spread on your lips at how your family accepted and adapted. You promised to be a reformed septic and leach bed system owner form that moment on.
