Moneyed Friends

A friend asked the Man whether he could sign up at a local gym using the Man's credit card auto debit facility. He promised the Man that he'll pay the gym cash each month before the gym auto debit the card.

The Man, my sweet man, has mulled over the thought over the weekends. I know how close they are but still, when it comes to money, I feel that there should be boundaries.

I, once was a silly friend when it comes to money. Fazura (of course, not real name, what you thinnk I am, a mother and still find time to frequent the club? get a grip!) was a close friend since we were 13. We got caught together by the school warden, we tried our first puff together (haha), we hate the same seniors, we shared KFC Banana Split, we had secret names to call some weird boys and some cute crush, you name it. Me and her, we were partner in crimes. She was still a close friend, answered each of my phone calls with laugh and silly accents, even after we left school and started uni and started work. We invented the word calculatoq (calcultor with a Kedah accent!). Her place was the place I and the other girls crashed whenever we came to KL for anything.

When she called me up asking me to sign up for a loan with Bank Rakyat to get some cash for her Master, I in no doubt said yes. The Man, a boyfriend at that time, was the guarantor. We took about RM18k, RM6K was for me and the rest was for hers. The RM6k was for the initial months where she doesn't have to pay me, since she had another debt to serve. Then come to payment part. The Bank Rakyat was conveniently deducting my pay monthly of RM408 and I waited patiently for her to bank in RM408 before end of the month.

Then I started to know that the money wasn't for her Master. She didn't get to finish up her Master. She then got a new car, though.

Then her TV station has started delaying giving salaries.

It was tough. I shoot her email everytime the month end (after giving her about a week). I called her after two weeks has lapsed.

Sad thing I remembered, it was her birthday and she took a while to answer my call.

Me: Hey, what up?
Her: Okaylah
Me: How's work?
Her: Okaylah.
Me: It's been a while we haven't talked. It's your birthday today.
Her: Yup I know. Everytime you called, it's always about the money.
Silence.
Me: Happy birthday!
Her: Thanks.

No more laugh. No more silly accents. It was plain and dry.

Now the TV station was taken over by another, the money rolled into my account each of 30th. I'm glad I don't have to call nor email her no more.

But that doesn't change the fact that it has strained the friendship.

I can't wait for end of 2006, where the debt was finally fully serviced and we might get to enjoy our silly accents conversation once again. We might. We might not.

Thing is, we know these friends by heart. We know how their parents are, what their dreams are until we can't set any boundaries anymore. It was the matter of them achieving what they want and how we, the only human understanding them, can help.

If they have their parents to help them, why should they ask us first?
If they have other close friends to save the day, why should they ask us first?

Now, isn't that just important, being the first to ask when they are financially in need of help.

Isn't being important is what human always looking for?