Something nice for a change.....

anxious_mum

Yay! It really brightened up my day, regardless of what the cynical people have to say about it! It's not every day things like this happen, and people are all too quick to think the worst of other people, I know I did at first, then I just forgot about it. And then, out of the blue, 300 smackeroonies that I never dreamt I would ever see again, plus an extra 100. Excellent!

Barneysmom

I think it's a lovely story.
You must have felt a bit let down by him, and he must have lost a lot of sleep over it.
Enjoy your holiday

pigpen

I am glad he came through eventually..

Enjoy your holiday!!

Googlewhacker

well done that guy and well done OP for lending it in the first place!

Threebabes

What a kind generous person you are.

Padstow

What impressed me most about your story was that you kept it a secret. I like people who can do that.

Many years ago, I sat on my bed listening to baliffs knocking my front door. A girlfriend pushed £250.00 cash into my hand. She didn't work and wouldn't tell me where the money came from.

When my luck turned, under a year later, I met her in a pub for lunch with £300.00. She flatly refused to accept it, she was still unemployed.

That must have been 30 years ago and I still carry it on my conscience.
Over the years I've given it much thought and I've guessed where she got the money.

She had an on/off volatile relationship, with an antiques dealer, he only dealt in cash. I think she simply took it from his pocket and gave it to me. From those heady pine trading days, he wouldn't have missed £250!

She took his money to help her friend, meanwhile in her mind probably hurting him too.

The step of me repaying was probably one too far, as she was no longer with him. She stole, but at least her conscience wouldn't allow her to pocket the money.

I see her ex sometimes, just when I stop for him and his Terrier at a crossing. I do wonder whether repaying the cash would make a difference to his life. Then I look at his bloated, florrid state, the string around his coat and know he would spend it on more cheap cider.

What happened to her?

She lived/living her life on benefits.
Making cash on the side, until DSS pulled her in.
Lucky she had her sister to plead for her, the sister who was employed as a benefit fraud buster.
How useful is that?

She went straight from benefits to state pension.

anxious_mum

Wow, Padstow, that is a story and a half! I'm really glad you had a good friend around to help you out when you most needed it. I would help anyone out if I could, and I never regretted helping my neighbour out of his particular hole. I've always been a believer in what goes around comes around. And today, it proved itself!

meritaten

Wonderful story Anxious_mum!

globetraveller

well I think its a great story and well done to you:) And of course you did get a few years of your garden being done for nothing which, can add up to quite a bit( for those who are talking repayments to add to the total)
Have a lovely holiday:)

babyshoes

I think it is a lovely story! It must really have taken some balls for him to come and give it back after all that time.

Of course, the first rule of lending money to family/friends is not to lend more than you can afford to lose. If not being paid back will see you in financial difficulty, don't lend it in the first place.