I gave because I thought we were family. - Ammera

Ammera was a single lady in her forties when she befriended a three-generational family. She began to have family meals with them regularly. The warmth of their home filled something in her life.

She saw the little grandchildren as her own nieces and nephews. The elders became like parents to her. They welcomed her presence, and she felt like she belonged.

One day, the family was in turmoil.

One of the sons had borrowed a large sum from illegal sources. His business losses were mounting and he was unable to recoup them. The debt collectors were relentless. The family was frightened.

In desperation, he reached out to each sibling for help. And to Ammera.

Ammera hesitated. This was a significant amount of money.

The patriarch of the family noticed her hesitation. He approached her privately.

"You're financially comfortable," he said gently. "A successful professional with no familial responsibilities. We've been like a family to you, haven't we? And family should help one another."

The words landed heavily. They had been like family to her. Could she really say no?

Ammera handed over a significant sum from her savings.

After some time passed, Ammera began to ask about repayment. She needed to rebuild her savings.

The borrower would always say the same thing: "I don't have any money to spare right now."

Weeks became months. Ammera brought the matter to the patriarch of the family, hoping he could help establish a repayment schedule.

He shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. You'll have to speak with him directly."

Then he added, almost casually, "You loaned the money willingly, after all."

Ammera felt something shift inside her. When they needed her, she was "family." Now that she wanted repayment, she was just someone who made a voluntary loan.

She realised she had never truly been family.