No good deed goes unpunished...

Okay, I hate this phrase. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. It has plagued me my entire life--as far back as my 21st birthday when I drove several of my drunk friends home (MY birthday and I was designated driver...go figure) and was pulled over at 2:45 a.m. by a police officer wondering what I was doing driving 5 miles over the speed limit at that hour. I was so irritated that my friends were drunk (one was puking in my backseat as I was pulled over, mind you) that I screamed at the officer and said, "why are you pulling me over when all I'm trying to do is get my friends home safely and avoid puke in my hair!" He smiled, of course as he saw (or should I say smelled) the situation up close and personal (as he stepped back when I opened the window), and proclaimed, "no good deed goes unpunished." He didn't do anything to me but send me on my way, but it really irked me as before that day, I'd never heard the phrase and had no idea what it meant. Little did I know that it would be the first of many instances. Case in point, this past week. After a nice snowstorm, our plow guy came to clear the driveway, mailbox, etc. Unfortunately, it was raining and foggy and he somehow backplowed into an icebank, getting his truck completely stuck. I saw him outside and went out to render some help. After 45 minutes of digging, pushing, rocking, rock salting and tire spinning, his truck was freed. I felt I'd done something to help him out as he'd be able to get back to his job and serve his other clients. Little did I know that two days later, I'd receive in the mail, a bill for the full service! I was shocked. Clearly, my 45 minutes of hard labor and help to a guy who had no other means of freeing his damn truck, wasn't worth a penny. I shared this little tidbit with King Tony whose first reaction was, 'no good deed goes unpunished.' Can someone please dig into the books of cliche' lingo and permanently delete this one, for the sake of all of us? I think if anything, good deeds should be appreciated, rewarded, revered--not punished. So, I'll pay the bill. I'll also let the guy and his business know how bad for business I think this practice. And, I'll start shoveling my own driveway as given the time I spent on his problem (not mine), I could have shoveled the entire driveway and then some--at no charge!