You make a fair bit of money, don’t you? My wife’s younger sister borrowed some pounds and went off to the seaside.
This summer, my wifes darling little sister came to stay with us. In the family, I called her the golden child, because every time we all got togetherMum, Dad, the lotno-one could talk about anyone else. Shed been a star pupil at school, aced her exams, finished university, landed a job in her fieldhonestly, the very picture of the perfect English daughter.
My wife, on the other hand, is eldest and never did finish her studies. She got married instead. But nobody seemed to mind, because I was comfortably well-off, running my own business. Id managed to buy a flat, had a decent car, and brought in a respectable income. Still, the familys favourite daughter remained the youngest sister.
So, it happens that this summer, my wifes sister arrived for a visit and, after a bit of chat, asked me to lend her some money. She wanted to put down a deposit for a mortgage, she said, but didnt quite have enough saved. For me, it wasnt some impossible sum, so I agreed without much thought. She assured me she worked for a government department and that the money would be back in my account quick as a flash.
She borrowed the money and, with the seriousness of an oath, promised to repay me every month on time. But no sooner had the ink dried on the agreement than shed packed her bags and disappeared to Brighton for a week by the sea. I cant liehearing that confused me. How does one manage a trip to the coast when they cant scrape enough together for a house deposit?
She told the family shed been saving all year for this little adventure, but, curiously, she still hadnt so much as applied for a mortgage. When I asked after her plans, she shrugged and said shed changed her mind.
I politely asked if she could perhaps return the money, since the purpose for the loanthe flatseemed to have evaporated. She told me she hadnt got a penny left; the whole lot had vanished into seaside amusements and ice creams at the pier. At that moment, I realised thered never been an intention to buy any flat at all.
I tried again, quite cordially, urging her to pay me back soon, explaining Id lent the money for bricks and mortar, not deckchairs and penny arcades. Her reply struck my nerves like a cold draught:
Ill be earning loads soon, you can wait, Im a bit skint right now.
Can you guess how it all played out? Yes, exactly. She ran straight to her mother, spinning the tale that Id demanded repayment well ahead of our agreement, declaring thats no way to treat family. Within a blink, the youngest daughter was once again cast in a golden glow, while we were just the greedy, well-heeled monsters of the story!
