Loco Mike wrote:
I must have spoke to soon in my inaugural post or karma got me. In the last week or so I have received the following news in e-mails from my Costa Rican regular.
1. Her freind, age 27, who I meet in October is in the hospital, near death, due to some kind of a blood disorder from previous kidney problems;
2. Her Grandmother in Colombia, who takes care of her Ch*ldren is sick;
3. Her mother who is a smoker and just moved back to Colombia from Venezuela is sick;
4. Today I called to wish her a happy birthday and was informed that her brother in law, who lives with and is married to her sister in Venezuela was murdered in a botched car jacking yesterday, he leaves behind a wife and three Ch*ldren;
5. She needs to get home to family but unfortunately lacks the money to go home.
She has not asked and I have not sent any money. I wonder what the odds of having all that crap happen to you, or people yopu care about, in the same week? Sounds like she is setting me up for a score.
The only one of the above that has a fixed date is #4. You might probe a little more to find out if this is true, which it probably is. (You might also gently inquire if the brother-in-law was the carjacker or the victim!) The rest, including #1, may just be ongoing things. I knew a chica who "had" to work to support her "sick elderly mother." The mother was ten years younger than I was and had arthritis. Shit happens, no doubt, but they worry about crap and any woman too old to hook develops a surprising number of medical excuses to justify living off her daughter's or granddaughter's trick money. Truthfully, while there are "family values" in play here that can justify respect, I get real pissed at the lazy middle-aged women who prostitute their daughters so they can sit on their asses and watch telenovelas. I have more damn ailments than they do and I'm screwing their daughters while working to pay for the pleasure.