slight situation

I think this is probably nothing, but I think has the possibility that
it might not be.

Today, a girl in our complex came round with a friend and asked to
borrow a dollar for her friend's bus fare home. We have no reason to
suspect anything dishonest and my husband did ask a few questions about
who was in charge of them, etc. he wasn't really able to get sense out
of them and gave them the dollar.

Thing is, we've never met this girls parents, we only ever see her
alone, or with her younger brother, she's 12, or maybe had her 13th
birthday recently, he's about 9 or 10. We know the parents work at or
own a particular restaurant and that they are either alone, or
supervised by someone we never see for an awful lot of the time.

It worries me a little that they saw us as safe people to come to for
help, because they know us so little and their parents have never met
us. I'm hoping she came to us for some silly reason like money having
been spent on candy and us being a choice with a low chance of the info
getting back to her parents.

A very tiny thing, but enough to trigger a question in my mind...

Anne

"Anne Rogers" wrote in message
. ..
I think this is probably nothing, but I think has the possibility that it
might not be.

Today, a girl in our complex came round with a friend and asked to borrow
a dollar for her friend's bus fare home. We have no reason to suspect
anything dishonest and my husband did ask a few questions about who was in
charge of them, etc. he wasn't really able to get sense out of them and
gave them the dollar.

Thing is, we've never met this girls parents, we only ever see her alone,
or with her younger brother, she's 12, or maybe had her 13th birthday
recently, he's about 9 or 10. We know the parents work at or own a
particular restaurant and that they are either alone, or supervised by
someone we never see for an awful lot of the time.

It worries me a little that they saw us as safe people to come to for
help, because they know us so little and their parents have never met us.
I'm hoping she came to us for some silly reason like money having been
spent on candy and us being a choice with a low chance of the info getting
back to her parents.

A very tiny thing, but enough to trigger a question in my mind...
Maybe being English you were thought to be more gullible :-P
Unless they do it again I wouldn't worry about it. If they do try it again
then I'd say something like "you didn't pay back the last time I leant it to
you, so I can't lend you any more until you've done that".
Could be as simple as they had lost the money and knew that one or other
parent would blow up at them if that was the case. Maybe they've tried other
neighbours on that occasion or other occasions and been told "no", maybe
they saw your light was on/you'd just arrived back and so they knew you were
in.
I'd take it at face value unless it's repeated.
Debbie