Friday, December 18, 2009
Noni’s Christmas Luncheon
I left off at the part where I lent my new friend $3500 for Christmas on a Tuesday. Well, that following Friday (December 18, 2009), at my Grandmother’s request, I organized a Christmas luncheon for her, her sisters, cousins and close friends.
Throughout the week, I had either seen or talked to my new friend every day so it did not come as a surprise when she offered to help me with the luncheon. To be honest, at the time, I was appreciative of her offer of help. I had been taking care of my Grandmother full-time, overseeing renovations to the house and trying to keep up with the hectic pace of the holiday season. The luncheon plans were adding to an already unmanageable schedule, but I could never say no to my Grandmother.
We had gifts for all the guests but my Grandmother wanted to give everyone one more present each. So at midnight the night before the party, she asked me to put together 12 more gifts. Needless to say, I got little to no sleep that night and was exhausted by the morning of the party.
My new friend agreed to do the grocery shopping and promised to arrive early. She ended up showing up at 10:45…the party started at 12:30. I gave her a list and $400 for groceries. She did not return for two hours with not nearly $400 worth of groceries and no receipt. I was so stressed by that time that I just let it go. The guests were arriving and lunch was not ready.
My new friend took over the whole party. It was obvious she was trying her hardest to impress my family members who had never met her before. Well, they were impressed and she hugged and kissed everyone when they left.
This was the first time, I really started to see that her actions were not genuine and that she was putting on an act for some reason. Right before she was ready to leave, she asked me to borrow more money. She had already spent the $3500 and needed more for Christmas shopping. I was shocked to say the least but drove with her to the ATM where I withdrew $500.
Stay Tuned for Part 4…
