Greetings!
This prompt brought to my mind a friend who used to come almost every two weeks to ask for financial help but hasn’t come for about two to three years. Oh, I'm already feeling guilty for not checking on him for a long time to see if he's okay or, at the very least, if he stopped asking people for financial help here and there.
Look at what happened:
This guy, let me call him Aaron, was someone I served with during NYSC, and I was privileged to lead them in a fellowship group, NCCF. You know, those privileges and positions put someone on top, even though the pocket doesn’t always match the role. So yeah, I was very close to everyone, and due to the position, I was kind, generous, and charitable to everyone, which I didn’t mind at all.
When we finished the service year and returned to our various places to seek stability in life, I mean to get established, this guy Aaron would come every two weeks asking for financial help as little as 2k (two thousand Naira) and promised to pay it back once he had the means, but at that moment, he needed food, and he had nothing. I know life is hard for a lot of us because we were all struggling to settle down, and even at that time, I was struggling myself, but I would still give to him because I knew how it felt to be without money for food. I also considered the courage it took for him to approach me for help. So, I always gave him whenever he called with such a request.
What made me stop?
One particular evening, I got a message from a lady we also served with. She wanted to confirm from me if Aaron was okay because he was asking her for money almost every week. To her, something didn’t seem right; she felt that something might be mentally wrong with him because it was so odd the way he would come into her DM to beg for 1k or 2k.
I was shocked because I thought I was the only one he had been asking for money, and I couldn’t understand what he was using the money for since it couldn’t be just for food, especially with the fact that he was asking other people as well. Also, even if it was for food, does it mean he was depending on begging for sustenance when he could work and at least earn enough for food?
Or, if he wasn’t living with his parents, he could reach out to them for support.
After thinking about all the possible reasons for how he was living such an odd life, I decided not to give in to his requests anymore. I didn’t see the point in continuing to give to someone who was constantly begging, not just from me but from other people too. He came three more times, but I declined his requests. Since then, I haven’t seen him, and I wonder if hunger has dealt with him since then.
Although I feel bad for not reaching out to him for such a long time, I don’t feel guilty for stopping the financial assistance.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to the Hivenaija prompt of the week.
Photos are mine
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
I've a very similar experience don't know if I should make a post about it
Please make a post let's read. There's still time for this prompt.
Thank you for stopping by
Hmmm, he had registered that to his brain to always beg, there are people like that
Imagine that kind of life.
May God help him. Amen.
Thank you for stopping by
It's good to help but drawing ur line is also important. As long as you are not blind or crippled, you should find something to sustain yourself after getting financial assistance once or twice...if it becomes a consistent request...I back out as a giver
That's what I tell people. There are one or two jobs to do out there to earn a feeding....even the crippled are working.
It's well with him.
Thank you for stopping by.
!luv
Serves Aaron right,don't feel guilty for any reason.
Yeaah.
I'm not shaking at all.
Thank you for stopping by
Hi @kingsleyy it is a sad story, but I think you did it right. Thank you for your generosity and thank you for rethinking it.
Regards, Achim
!CHARY:5 The author, Kingsley Y., provided direct financial assistance to a friend, Aaron.