More Fun...

So today I talked with Ibu Tati again to verify the details of the whole RT money story. She said that she had let the neighbours “borrow” our RT money for a month and that they were supposed to have paid it to the RT by now. Hugo went to the RT today and the money still hadn’t been paid so he explained what had happened and that the RT didn’t need to pursue anything as I (Erica, yippee) would talk with the neighbours about it. I went to an American woman who has been living here for 12 years for advice. So tonight I asked Ibu Umi if she would come and talk with me. I told her that I felt very sad that she didn’t come to me and ask me for help when she needed the money. Instead she used my money without asking me first. I told her my heart was breaking because she as my friend had done this. She said she was very sorry about it and asked (on her knees, many times) if I would forgive her. She tried to turn on the tears but wasn’t quite successful in that while she said over and over again how poor they are and how there is never enough money. She asked if we could go back to the way we were before. I said that yes I forgave her (many times) and that I really wanted things to go back to the way they were before and that I wanted to leave here with a happy heart. Then I asked to speak with her daughter, Ibu Nina. I told her that Hugo had gone to the RT and found out that the money hadn’t been paid yet and that I felt very sad about it all…. I also expressed sadness that she had said that maybe my helper had used the money and therefore lied about it. But then she explained what had actually happened. In the month of May, she received an envelope from my helper for the RT, about 7 days late and it was in a different envelope than usual and didn’t have any writing on it like usual. So she just said to the neighbour that the money was late and wondered why. She really shouldn’t have said anything, because her saying that only made things worse. Anyways, at that time they needed the money for Adit for school and so they asked Ibu Tati if it would be okay if they borrowed it and paid it back with the next months RT money. Ibu Tati said it was okay (she really didn’t have any right to give them permission and they shouldn’t have asked her). I have a funny feeling that maybe Ibu Tati did use the money for a few days even though she said that she’s never done that. She knows that if she needs money she can ask me. So I told her I was sorry that I hadn’t understood the whole story properly and I was glad that now I understood things better. So now, tomorrow, I have to talk with Ibu Tati again about the whole thing and find out if she indeed did use the money. Oh joys… and we’re only 2 weeks away from leaving…