‘How can I get my money back?’

I have a problem about a delicate situation that I find myself in. Val, a close friend of mine, wanted to break off from his mistress Julie, before his wife Myrna (who was known as a “tiger”), found out about his affair. He said he needed money to give to Julie so she could go abroad to work. He pleaded with me to lend him P25,000 which he promised to pay in one year’s time. Seeing how desperate he was, I agreed to lend him the amount since I had just sold a piece of land that I owned in Iloilo. I gave him the money without asking for a receipt as he was a good friend, and I trusted him completely. He was very grateful to me and I was glad to help my friend.

Unfortunately, three weeks later I got the shock of my life when I heard that Val had a bad accident on his motorcycle that cost him his life. I felt so depressed about Val’ s death and I wondered how I could get my money back. All through his wake and burial, I couldn’t say anything to Myrna about the money I lent him.

Recently, I learned that Myrna got a big amount from the insurance company and that she paid off some friends who had lent Val some money. My problem is, how can I tell her I lent him money and I would want to get it back?

Myrna is a very suspicious type of woman and she would want to know what the money was for. I couldn’t tell her the reason why he borrowed money from me. My wife blames me for everything and she wants me to collect the amount from Myrna, as we are facing financial problems at the moment. Please advise me on this.

VAL’S FRIEND

NOTE: The names mentioned are not their real names.

Dear Val’s Friend,

This should be a lesson to all that you have to ask for a receipt when you lend money to anyone, even a close friend. We never can tell what might happen and if we have no proof of the transaction, it would cause a big problem.

If you issued a check to Val for the P25,000 that you lent him, you can show the check to his widow. In case she asks what the loan was for, you can always say you don’t know.

If you gave him cash, then you don’t have any proof of lending him the amount. You could try to collect from Myrna. She knows how close you and Val were and she might believe you. If she does not, that would be a problem.

TITA