Woman claims money I lent her was a gift

Dear Pastor,

I am writing to you about a lady who borrowed some money from me when she was renting a two-bedroom house and did not have enough to pay the deposit. She asked me to give her a loan, and I gave her the deposit of $13,000. She told me that she would repay me when her boyfriend got his pay. That would be the following week.

I had some money put away to buy books for my son. I gave her the money. When the week came for me to get the money, I called her, but didn't get through. I kept calling her, but she wouldn't answer. I went to her workplace and told her that I needed the money. She said she didn't have it, and she gave me another date when I would get it. That date came and passed.

I knew the place she rented. I went there and she was not at home. I stayed there until she came. Her gentleman was with her. He asked how he could help me. I told him that his girlfriend and I had a little business. She did not want me to talk to her in his presence, so we walked away from where he was standing. I told her that I was badly in need of the money.

Her boyfriend heard when I said money, so he asked what was the problem and I told him. She told him that it was not a loan I gave her, it was a gift. I told her that I had no reason to give her a gift. Her boyfriend asked me why did she borrow the money, and I told him. He said she did not have to take it because he gave her enough money to pay the deposit.

To this day, this woman has not paid me my money, and I don't know what to do.

B.S.

Dear B.S.,

Evidently your friend is a liar and a thief. She had no intention of paying you back, and as you heard from her man, he gave her enough money to make the deposit. The problem you have now is, you may try to sue her for the money, and you ought to. But you do not have any proof that she borrowed it from you. She did not sign any agreement with you, and that is the mistake you made.

Sometimes when friends or relatives come by and need to borrow money, you should make sure that something is put in writing, because lots and lots of people trust their friends. They take them by their word, but these friends and relatives do not honour their verbal agreements.

I am sorry that this wicked woman has gone with your money, but I hope her boyfriend would see your plight and give you back your money.

What this woman does not know is that her man will never trust her. The excuse that she tried to make by saying you gave her that money as a gift, didn't make sense to her boyfriend. He now knows for sure that she is a liar.

Although you can sue, it might be better to try and appeal to her man to convince her to give you your money; or, at least, he can do so and get it back from her. I wish you well.

Pastor