The Ripple Effect

Gary could hear everyone laughing as he strolled up to the table of the small Italian restaurant called Vinnie’s where they met up, on a semi regular basis.

There were about 20 tables, and they were always put at the back because, as the night progressed, they would get louder.

Gary knew why everyone was laughing, Zac (his cousin) was in full swing telling one of his momentous stories no doubt.

There was a time when Gary would have come bounding in to sit at that table and join in what always felt like a big party, not anymore.

Looking around the table, they were all repeat attendees.

There was a seat at the far end next to 2 girls Sarah and Janine at the far end of the table They always showed up together, they knew Zac from the gym.

Both with long blonde hair and great physiques, it showed they went to the Gym almost every day.

Beside Zac was Tony, Zac had met Tony 20 years ago at one of their first jobs. Tony was a  lazy man who didn’t really do much with his time.

He was polar opposite to everyone else at the table. If he’d ever gone to a gym, Gary never witnessed it.

According to Zac, Tony’s parents had money. The story was, they would buy a business for him to run, he would run it into the ground, they would argue and cut him off for a while and then they’d buy him another business and the same thing would repeat.

An angry man, he liked to drink a little too much. Their relationship was a little weird and seemed to hinge on the fact that they’d met young and thought they understood who the other one was. They had also ripped each other off for large sums of money on more than one occasion so, weird.

Next to Tony, his fiancé Mandy. Gary didn’t speak with her much, she tended to look at him sideways and not head on, Gary never knew if she didn't like him or was just that shy. A beauty with long dark hair, they were an odd couple.

Gary knew Mandy had complained to Zac about Tony’s drinking. He had accidentally walked around the corner to see them standing very close with barely a breathe between their faces like they were whispering things to each other they didn’t want anyone to hear. All the while Tony and Zac’s wife Leah were sitting 2 rooms away. Seems like Zac has no boundaries if he thinks he’s got a chance with the girl, no matter who she is partners with.

Next was Rita and her boyfriend Hamill, both gym junkies, like Zac.

They were Zac’s latest disciples.

It was always a strange dynamic in these couples that followed him. Hamill liked Zac because, when you first meet him, he seems like a straightforward guy who says what he thinks and is genuinely interested in what you have to say, ranging from what your boss said, to what the fight with your girlfriend was about.

And Rita liked him because, well, a lot of girls thought Zac was everything a man should be, strong, assertive, someone who would listen when she spoke.

Gary knew this because Zac would tell him, as he laughed and said casual things like “Yeah their relationship is going bad, he’s threatened Rita a few times. She needs to be careful, he’s a bit arrogant and gets really angry without warning.”

Gary had little doubt Zac had his sights on Rita, it seemed he was already helping her see all the reasons she needed to get out of that relationship.

Gary called them disciples because they ignored all Zac's faults, accepted whatever fantabulated lie he gave them when he conned another person, sometimes from the main group of friends, even got on board and helped get the word out on why that person deserved it.

Hamill didn’t seem to notice what Zac was doing, or maybe that’s what he and Rita were fighting about.

They were on Steroids, which helped explain they’re erratic behaviour, but not why they ignored all the red flags.

Like Gary could talk. He fell for Zac’s lies, hook, line and sinker. Believed all his sob stories on why everything had gone so bad for him, and eventually, he loaned him money.

He wouldn’t be there at all if he hadn’t loaned Zac that money.

Trying to keep in touch because once Zac decided a person doesn’t deserve to get their money back, they don’t.

Unfortunately, when you’re related and think you’re friends, you don’t think there’s any reason for them to do that to you. You know each other, you’re blood, right?

So here’s Zac, in all his glory, living the high life.

He’s running a business, with his wife Leah, who isn’t here. He’s flirting with other women, spending money the company doesn’t have, while he doesn’t pay his workers.

Everything about this lot has Gary seething. All laughing and showing off, because they’re the fun crowd, and they’re with Zac, and he’s the guy.

What a load of crap.

After Gary found out Zac was using steroids, which explains why he’s so big, Gary asked him how much they were.

“Only about $500” Zac said shrugging his shoulders.

Gary wondered if Zac’s workers knew that.

This is when Gary truly realised how twisted Zac’c priorities were, Gary hadn’t gotten 1 cent back, even though it was supposed to be a short term loan so Zac could buy gym equipment that he would then rent out. Which he does, but somehow there’s never any money left when Gary showed up.

When Gary did try to ask him about it, Zac would tell him about some surprise bill, usually something like a rego or the electricity bill because people are less likely to argue if you use the excuse of a high priority bill, no mention of how he paid for the steroids.

So, Gary asked him, “How do you pay for the steroids?” and Zac alluded to him and Tony doing other things. Gary could only guess what that meant. At the time he doubted what Zac was saying and assumed he was using the money he got for renting out the equipment

Gary doesn’t have any kind of poker face so he was pretty sure Zac realised Gary wasn’t falling for his lies anymore and he needed to stop telling him stuff.

He also thinks this is when Zac started making up lies about him to anyone who was around.

Its the exit strategy Zac has, to get rid of someone who is no longer any use to him.

Gary had noticed Zac’s pattern of talking hard and rough to everyone, making sweeping statements like, “I say what I want and if someone doesn’t like it, they can just F#k off!”

What he was actually doing, was getting information from each person.

By talking open and frankly about himself (although Gary found out later, this was all highly exaggerated) or someone you both knew, you would be left to believe that he saw something in you and was taking you into his confidence.

 So, you would start opening up about your life, and Zac would take it all in, like a sponge. He’d then start to make little comments to other people about you, start sprinkling crumbs.

He’d keep and twist a few bits of information and if he needs you to go away without a fight, he will then tell people that, which will make his disciples go “Oh no, that guys definitely in the wrong.” And you’re out.

For instance, after Zac had a falling out with one of their friends, he told everyone a that he was on drugs and his marriage was on the rocks. Gary found out later this was a complete lie.

Its all about keeping everyone unbalanced, thinking everyone else is a little sketchy and that you and Zac have a special bond. Gary knew because he thought like that, and now, he realised just how scheming and manipulative Zac is and well, he was horrified. Not only because of how gullible he turned out to be, but because, how badly he treated other people on Zac’s say so.

Now its come full circle, because these people all think they know things about Gary.

All this time, he thought they were being a little stand offish because they didn’t know him yet.

Turns out they all hated him because Zac had told them he’s just hanging out because Zac’s a successful businessman and Gary just loaned him the money because he wanted to feel in the game.

So here he was, in the restaurant and as he moved towards the vacant seat beside the 2 ladies, Zac looked straight at him

“Gazza!” he yelled. Gary laughed and tried to keep an even grin, hoping he didn’t look psycho as he sat.

Everyone looked at Gary, which seemed to be mix of “Why is he here” to “oh, the cousin,”

As Gary sat, Zac yelled “Just getting out?”

Gary nodded

“That bitch busting your balls again?” He was asking if Gary’s boss had asked him to stay back again. Gary nodded again as he ordered a drink and took a menu. He hoped it didn’t show how horrified he was that Zac yelled that out in front of a group of people who wouldn’t know his boss if they tripped over her in the street. He liked his job, he liked his boss. He’d never called her a bitch, He’d simply complained about doing too many hours in that particular week. This was a conversation Gary and Zac had had some months ago, before Gary realised that anything said was then told to many people in many variations depending on what light Zac saw you in on the day,

He had to assume that, as Zac was aware, Gary was a private person, this would bother him, he also realised he was not in a good light with Zac anymore, he was definitely in the shade.

Gary decided then and there that, this was the last meal he would have with these people.

He realised there was no good exit strategy, the money he loaned Zac for a shared investment was gone, he’d never see it.

Gary was going to try and talk to Zac about the loan at some stage tonight but, looking around this table and their glazed eyes looking in Zac’s direction, he could see, like so many before him, Gary had fallen prey, and there was no coming back from it.

It is a strange hold Zac has on people, its only when he’s chewed you up and spat you out, the spell is broken, and you’re left battered and bruised and, in many cases, out of pocket.

Its going to take Gary a few years to pay down that debt, he hated Zac for that, he hated himself for not recognising who Zac is.

Gary looked down at the menu, he wasn’t that hungry. Maybe he wouldn’t bother, who’d notice anyway?

As Gary looked up and around the restaurant, he could see a woman walking towards them, did Gary know her? She looked at Zac and Tony and they both got up.

“Back in a minute.” Was all Zac said as they walked off.

No one else seemed concerned or even interested, Gary got up and walked over to the bar so he could see out the front. Zac was talking to the woman, and then, there were 2 men, another was just a few feet away. Gary realised, Zac and Tony were getting arrested.

Arrested, oh my god, Gary didn’t know whether to be alarmed or elated. The woman didn’t even look their way, didn’t look like coming back in the restaurant.

What had he just witnessed, he looked across to the table, they were all just happily talking amongst themselves, except for Mandy, she looked at Gary’s face and stood up, walked across just in time to see Tony being put in a car, she started running to the door, this got everyone else’s attention, they looked at her and then back at Gary, he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, he had no clue, but his guess was, that was what they call a “sting operation.”

Trying to seem neutral, Gary walked to the front door where everyone was now trying to see what happened. Mandy was just standing there crying, they all looked at Gary

“I don’t know any more than you, that lady showed up, they went out the front, I went to get a drink and saw them getting arrested.”

They didn’t believe him, why did you go to the bar?

“Because I was curious.” Gary told the truth, “I wondered who she was.”

They reluctantly nodded, he wasn’t off the hook, he had come in last and not 5 minutes later this all went down.

He argued, It didn’t really make much sense that he would come at all if he knew what was about to happen but, his disciples didn’t use much sense when they were following their leader.

Gary guessed somebody would explain to them, and hopefully him what happened eventually.

As the cars pulled away, Gary remembered a quote a friend had said to him from The Art of War: "If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by." 

A few days later, Gary went to visit Leah. She was a mess. Because Zac was in jail, their business was now under strain. Clients who thought he was a man of good reputation, heard that he was arrested, they weren’t sure if they wanted to continue,

Gary felt a little bad for her, Zac was not a good husband but, she was just as big a con artist as he was. He’d watched her help Zac con people and she had assured me Gary would get his money back but now when he asked her, she tells him she sold the equipment to pay the workers. Just like Zac, telling him money was used for something he wasn’t likely to argue over.

Zac got arrested for selling steroids which, Gary doubted he would see very much consequence for. His business, however, was over.

Gary didn’t bother keeping in touch after that, he’d be the first to admit, the reason he just walked away was he was too afraid to take Zac head on, even if he was in jail. The fact was, Zac now had more excuses never to pay Gary back and he had real concerns Zac’d mess with his job or my life.

As far as Gary knows, all the people at the table that night went home and stayed away for the same reason, if Zac started trying to spread the blame, no one was safe.

All the women went away, Tony got released but his drinking got worse. The last Gary heard Mandy had moved on and he’d moved back in with his mother.

So whatever hold Zac had on those people, turns out they were as superficial as him and had no intention of standing by him.

Gary didn’t know what they thought, but he knew Zac would say anything, make up any lie to shift blame. So he(In his words) slunk off.

Gary gets word sometimes of how Zac’s going. It appears the police were on to him for quite a few things and 18 months later, he’s still in jail, Gary doesn’t know how long Zac’ll be in there, but it appears he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was.

Of course, Gary gets all his information through relatives, and they are getting his side, which is basically Zac was tricked, and he didn’t really know what was going on.

Apparently, he upset some bad guys and ended up in solitary confinement for his own protection for a while.

That wasn’t his fault either.

Gary thinks should have a new category for this kind of conman called a Professional Victim, but he thinks the new term the young kids are calling it, is Narcissist.

Many of you will know that there are plenty of individuals that never really get whats coming.

Gary’s cautionary tale would be to take more notice of the people around you and ask more questions when somebody asks for money. Whether you are related or in a relationship with this person, don’t let that be the reason you help them. If they have a perfectly good excuse for three or more things that are to blame for why they don’t have the cash, there’s probably a lot they are not telling you.

From what Gary can tell, Zac shows no remorse for anything he has done. He is now telling people Gary owes him money.