You must be raking in a small fortune, arent you? My wifes sister borrowed money from me and then went off to Brighton.
This summer, my wifes beloved younger sister came to visit us. We always called her the golden child because at every gathering, her name was on everyones lips. Mum, Dad, and all the relatives would sing her praisesshed been the star pupil at school, graduated from university, and landed a good job in her field. She could do no wrong in their eyes, the perfect daughter.
By comparison, the eldestmy wifehadnt even finished her degree and had gotten married instead. Not that anyone seemed to mind much, since I was fairly well-off myself, running my own business. We had a flat, a car, and a comfortable income. Still, the familys “best daughter” was always my wifes younger sister.
So this summer, she comes round and asks me for a loan. She explained she was hoping to get a mortgage for a new flat but didnt have enough saved for the deposit. For me, it wasnt a huge sum, so I agreed without much fuss. She assured me she was working at a proper job in the civil service, and she would pay me back on the dot.
She took the money and nearly made a solemn vow that Id see regular payments from her every month. But just a week later, off she went for a holiday at the seaside. Honestly, I was rather baffledhow did someone who was supposedly strapped for cash for her mortgage manage to find the money for a trip to the coast?
She told the family shed been saving up all year for that very holiday. Yet, rather curiously, she still hadnt secured that mortgage. When I asked about it, she simply said shed changed her mind.
I politely asked her to repay the loan, explaining that the money was meant for her flat, not for a jaunt to the seaside. Her reply genuinely stung:
Ill be making loads soon, you can wait a bittheres no money at the moment.
And how do you suppose things wrapped up? Just as you might imagine. She went straight to my mother-in-law, telling her I was demanding repayment before wed even agreed, and accused me of treating my own family unfairly. Suddenly, the youngest daughter was once again the familys darling, while we were painted as the greedy, well-off villains.
What I learnt from all this is simple: Sometimes, kindness gets mistaken for weakness, and money given for good reasons can lead to sour feelings. In the end, always think carefully before mixing family ties with finances, and remember that true worth is measured by honestynot by the opinions of others or the glitter of success.
