Dear Nesta,
B’looka life neh, how easy yuh could lose a good frien’ – one yuh mighta had fuh years – simply ’cause, outta de goodness o’ yuh heart yuh decide to step in an’ help out wid a loan when evahbody else turn duh back, an’ yuh frien’ din know which way to turn.
I see dah happen to Philomena recently. A frien’ship dat was goin’ on fuh many, many years, brek-up jes’-so, over money. Philomena mek a loan to a frien’, an’ when time come to pay it back, de “tra-la-la” start, wid de woman complainin’ dat Philomena wasn’ no real frien’ in troof, or she woulda write off de debt, knowin’ how hard t’ings gine wid she at de moment. To-besides, dah li’l bit o’ money was chicken-feed an’ c’n brek she. She en’ up bewzin’ Philomena – of course, still not sayin’ when she would mek payment.
Well, it only go to show dat when people in need o’ a loan, duh know how to approach yuh as a smilin’, sof’-speakin’ li’l “lamb” mekkin’ all de promises in de worl’ to pay back soon as dis or dat cheque come t’rough, an’ in a flash could turn into a fierce dragon, breavin’ fire an’ brimstone ef, after waitin’ long pas’ de date fuh de return o’ yuh money, yuh dare to even t’ink ’bout bringin’ up de subjeck o’ repayment. Sometimes duh try to confuse yuh head summuch dat yuh start to wonder ef it en you dat borrow de money ’stead o’ de ethuh way ’roun.
When I watch de Judge Judy show, I realise mos’ people always in court fuh not payin’ back loans, as somehow or ethuh duh always seem to believe it was a “gif’”. But dah don’ impress Judge Judy one bit. One day, after hearin’ de same ole story ’bout a loan being really a gif’, she turn ’roun’ an’ ax de question: “When does a loan become a gif’?” An’ dah is wuh I too would like to know. Wuh part o’ de word “loan” translate into “gif’” when time come to pay back?
Life t’rowin’ ’nough punches nowadays an’ some o’ we don’ know whey de nex’ meal comin’ from, but dat don’ gi’e anybody de right to borrow money wid no intention o’ payin’ back. It would be far mo’ hones’ (dah word still exis’ nowadays?) to lay yuh cards ’pon de table an’ allow de person doin’ de lendin’ to decide ef duh could help yuh out or not. I would risk to bet dat some o’ dese “borrowers” look ’roun’ an’ target people duh look ’pon as “easy pickin’s” an’ head straight fuh dem, widout a t’ought in duh heads ’bout payin’ back.
In dese modern days Habra, Dabra an’ de crew got phones wid de caller ID feature, so dodgin’ calls is de easies’ t’ing to do nowadays. An’ dah’s jes’ wuh does happen. Counk yuhself lucky ef de answerin’ service don’ pick up, an’ de person yuh tryin’ to pin down answer widout firs’ checkin’ fuh de name, but dat’s as far as yuh gine get. Yuh frien’ gine hustle yuh off de phone, promisin’ to call back in a few minutes an’ you could keep waitin’ . . . ’til eternity – ef yuh so foolish!
Is a true sayin’ dat money an’ frien’ship don’ mix, so to keep from losin’ a frien’, I feel is better to gi’e-way $50 wid no expectation o’ gettin’ it back, dan len’ out $100, knowin’ dat as well as not evah seein’ it agen, yuh stan’ a chance o’ losin’ a frien’ in de bargain. I t’ink dah’s a far better way o’ keepin’ evahbody happy!
Tek care o’ yuhself.
Yuh frien’ Babsie.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The above column was the last in the series.
