A close friend of my dad made a phone call a few weeks back, trying to catch up with my dad on the good old days. He migrated to the US shortly after my parents got married. He sent the next thirty years working there until he finally established his own shop in New York City.
He called my dad a couple of times, talking about life in the states, the friends they know, and the global recession. Things are pretty bad there in the US right now, he confessed. A lot of people have lost their jobs and their homes. My dad then said that the living conditions here in the Philippines are much worse, and while Americans have just begun experiencing poverty, Filipinos have been living through it for decades.
Then the phone calls ended abruptly. Just tell him I'm sleeping or I went to the province, my dad instructed us should his friend call. I asked him why he would treat one of his old friends this way. Apparently his friend was asking my dad for money.
He needed the money to pay off some debt -- for his home mortgage and his hardware store. My dad felt that it was absurd to send money to someone in the US; giving five thousand dollars is like donating a quarter million pesos. He should rely on his immediate family for financial assistance, my dad added. Two of his kids have finished college and should be able to help him out.
I felt sorry for my dad's friend. Calling my dad for help must be his last resort to fix his financial problems. His kids should be helping him out, but I'm guessing that they don't have work right now. Part of me felt angry at my dad for abandoning his friend. It seems he was putting more value to money over years of friendship. But my dad had valid points.
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