788 replies to this topic

[Macman]

Actually my 2 golf buddies already met Angel and they like her, Nix. Whenever they text me to say that they'll be at the coffee shop, they tell me to bring Angel along. This was the son of my friend and his wife.

Pacman, I don't think that's why Angel was nervous. I think it was more of a status thing. Angel is from a fairly low-income background, and while many of her friends come from families with money, they don't have the "connections". These people move in a fairly rarified atmosphere (for here), and I think that's why she was a little anxious. As a matter of fact, I was too. I dread social situations where I don't know people. Angel is a much more self-confident person than I am; certainly than I was at her age.

Anyway, it went really well. We went to a restaurant, not the house of my friend's son. The party was for the birthday of my friend's wife. She died in 1998, but he has a family dinner to commemorate her b-day every year, which is very nice. I felt pretty honored to have been invited. Let me give these people some names so I don't have to keep saying "my friend's son's wife". Let's call my friend "Mo" and his son "Al". I should also explain that Mo is 90 years old and his son is 58. I was worried about Al's wife. Often a woman of that age resents any young woman with an older guy, possibly dreading the possibility of some young chick stealing her man. As it turned out, she couldn't have been nicer to Angel. Everybody in this town knows someone who knows someone, etc. While Angel didn't know her, she knows Angel's mom, and knew who she was before we got there (I guess from Mo's conversations). Al's wife brought along her secretary, and the 3 of them wandered off by themselves before and after dinner for, as Angel described it, "girl talk." The guys all sat around talking about golf. It really went very well, and Angel and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. Another hurdle was conquered, and Angel handled herself like she belonged there. She wasn't a bit shy once the ice was broken. Like most things in life, it's usually not as bad as our fears lead us to think it will be. (Jeez, that sounds so pompous. Sorry.)

Macman

[thailover57]

Not pompous at all, Mac. It's true, based on previous encounters, we attach fear/anxiety to an event. The first trip to the dentist as a kid is okay, until they start doing stuff to you. And then every medical event after that causes your body to tense (and sometimes more).

Glad to hear that the evening was a success.

[Macman]

Tomorrow will be my first member golf tournament, and I'm feeling a little apprehensive. Of course, that's the worst thing you can do in golf - start worrying and over-thinking. It should be a nice day though. The team I'm on is the host this month. We have a shotgun start at 7:00 AM, will probably finish around noon, followed by lunch, awards, a raffle and a meeting.

An aside about our dinner the other night. While Al's wife and her secretary were very nice to Angel, part of that contained an ulterior motive. She's an insurance broker. What I thought was all "girl talk" was also a sales pitch. Angel told me about it, and said that we were supposed to go to the lady's office the next day. By the way, this was not completely because she thought they'd found a rich American. When I told my other friend (the guy who picks me up for golf), he said she also put the rush on him. We went to her office, and met with her and her boss. While it is a very reputable London-based insurance company, the 2 ladies had no idea what they were selling. What they were trying to sell was a combination of whole life and medical insurance. I worked on Wall Street for almost 34 years. I was a bond trader, and also did a stint as a buyer for a bond fund. These guys were not prepared for my questions. They had steered Angel towards a particular policy, which involved what I considered to be a lot of risk based on the current and projected yield. When I questioned them about it, they said, "Oh, no, it's very safe. It's a balance of equities and bonds." I asked if I could see the portfolio. No, that's not available. I then asked if the bonds were of investment grade quality. Blank stare. She had no idea what I meant by that. By that time, Al's wife had taken Angel aside to another room, leaving me with the boss. After fumbling around, she found a list of their Equity Fund and Bond Fund holdings. "This is what's in that portfolio," she said. "It's a 50-50 balance." I knew from the yields of those 2 funds, that it was impossible to be what was in the one they were pushing, but there was no sense in beating her up about it. I didn't get the sense of a con; just a hard sell and ignorance of their product. Angel later told me that she had told Al's wife that we were still testing our relationship, and would be doing so for 6 months to a year. The lady then suggested that Angel take me to an attorney, and get papers drawn up making me liable for payments in the event of a break up. Yeah, right. Sure I will. Anyway, we said we would take home the papers and talk it over. Al's wife then offered to pick Angel up on Saturday and take her to the Club to watch the tournament. I forgot to mention that the premiums on this policy would account for almost 10% of our budget. Well Al's wife just sent Angel a text, asking if we'd decided yet. Angel plans on telling her that we are not prepared to take any steps like that until we are secure in our relationship. Let's see how friendly she is after that answer. Another thing - we stopped in to see Angel's mom yesterday. Remember, she knows Al's wife. We told her about what happened and she told us not to sign anything. I was glad that she felt that way. It gives me faith.

Wish me luck tomorrow.

Macman

[Legend]

well played mac.
it sounds like you have to get up early to catch you out.
another excellent update.

[petesie]

Someone was delusional and I'm sure glad it wasn't you..

Good story mate, glad to hear you had your marbles about you...

[BigTel]

Good to read you were on the ball regarding their insurance pitch Mac and stuck to your guns, nice one .

[kliome]

Thanks for the upatde Mac, enjoying it.

You know what you are doing with the golf, play it just like you would watching ladyboy porn; don't over think it and enjoy every stroke..

I just played 18 holes with Dazed&Confused, got off to a terrible start losing two balls to the water on the first hole. Didn't start enjoying it until I finally started laughing at my errors and ignoring the score card, and I actually had a more respectable back 9.

Good luck!

[pacman]

Your "friend's" intentions are starting to come clear. Sign you up for a huge insurance policy that no doubt pays a big commission up-front, then keep you happy with invites to social functions.

Let's see how far the hospitality extends once they understand you have rejected their "generosity".

Far be it for me to suggest they are hypocrites but I will bet the contact becomes something other than "close friends".

Please keep us informed how things develop from here. I love the feeling of being a fly-on-the-wall in your PI adventure.

[Macman]

Thanks for the comments on that insurance bit, guys. I have to appreciate the way Angel reacted too. Even though they were putting stars in her eyes by telling her of the fortune she'd receive at age 60 if she made 10 years of payments, she was quick to mention that we were still feeling out our relationship. She also told them that even if we're sure it'll work, we have other priorities right now (car, furniture, etc.). She's very level-headed, and I honestly believe that this is not just a money thing with her.

Isn't golf the craziest game ever invented, Kliome? The harder you try, the worse you do.

Macman

[Macman]

Pacman, your post came while I was composing mine, so I didn't see it until I finished. I don't think it's the guys as much as the wife. She seems a right hustler. Yesterday morning, when my friend picked me up, I bounced it off him. I said that I hope Mo won't be offended if we decline. That's when he told me that the wife tried hard-selling him as well. He said that Mo was not at all upset. He seemed to know what his daughter-in-law was like. It was actually Mo (the father) who asked his son to invite me to the dinner commemorating his late wife. He's also one of the guys who keeps urging me to trust no one. Maybe he had his daughter-in-law in mind when he said that.

Macman

[Surin Nix]

Well I thought the insurance deal sounded pretty good!

Reminds me of that saying that goes something like:

Question: "What's the best way to make a small fortune in the PI (or LOS, etc)?"

Answer: "Start with a large fortune and invest it".

The more I hear about Angel, the more I think you've found, well, an angel.

Nix