Yesterday’s Hash was a wet one; the rain began right when we started and continued off and on throughout the hike. We were fortunate that the rain ended just before the Hash Circle began at the On-Home, Malibog Mountain Momma’s place, which offers little shelter from the storm. The “easy” trail was 7K and mostly flat, but the one climb came near the end, which made it a little more difficult. The way I was loudly wheezing during the ascent had several of my fellow Hashers worried that I wasn’t going to make it. I did, though.
The drama came in the form of Angie’s friend, Rose. She is the one who stole 500 pesos off my kitchen table a few weeks ago. I was surprised to see her at the Hash acting like nothing had happened. I told Angie I wouldn’t pay for Rose, but she participated anyway. At the conclusion of the Hash circle, Rose approached me asking to borrow 500 pesos! I let her know in no uncertain terms that that was not going to happen after what she had done. I was pissed and decided it was best for me to leave, so I headed down the mountain. I caught a trike to IDM and was the first Hasher to arrive. About two beers later, the rest of the pack arrived, including Angie and Rose. I bought Angie a beer and ignored Rose, who was already obviously very drunk and had brought two bottles of Hash beer with her (a big no-no. Yeah, it is stealing.) After a bit, Rose approached me again, and this time I didn’t hold back, telling her to keep the fuck away from me. She slinked back over to her chair; I paid my tab and headed home. Angie messaged me this morning, apologizing and promising that Rose would never attend again. A little late, the damage was done.
I received recognition (and time on the ice) for completing my 250th run with the Subic Bay Hash House Harriers.
And then the drama I mentioned earlier began.
Seems almost as if Rose didn’t even bother denying her initial theft. And then there’s the Hash-beer thing… is she a klepto or something? At the very least, she’s bad news. Are you saying she participated in the Hash despite not having paid, or did some mysterious benefactor pay for her?
Here’s hoping that Thailand can provide some respite from all the drama. You’re off in a few days, yes? I hope you see your docs about your lungs before then.
Wow, Rose was simply shameless. Not the first or last.
But rather than stomp off, perhaps it would have been better to assert: “I believe you already owe me 500 pesos. If you had asked me for a loan at that time, I would have been glad to help. Now, I don’t want anything to do with you, but I want my money back. When are you going to pay me?”
I would also spread it around to cohorts. She should be the one made to feel uncomfortable, not you. Nothing like the specter of an enforced debt to keep an erstwhile “friend” away. Just a suggestion.
In my humble opinion, the lack of accountability and its impact on cultural norms is one of the things that ruins the Philippines. Rather than invest minimal effort in genuine lasting friendships that could be mutually beneficial for years, too many people would rather just rip you off for a quick 500 pesos and act like nothing happened — or even that they’re the victim because someone dared to call them out and make them lose face. So be it.
DS, that’s pretty much what I said to her–why would I loan you money after you stole from me? When she persisted in her begging, I chose to walk away rather than create a scene in front of my Hash mates. When she tried to re-engage at the bar with her drunken entreaties, I’d had enough and told her to fuck off. I don’t think I’ll be seeing her again.
In a way, it is a blessing when people reveal the true nature of their character. I remember thinking at the time that 500 pesos is a small price to pay to find out someone is a worthless piece of shit. Not knowing can cost you a lot more over time.
Yeah, Rose is a thieving liar rotten to the core. As far as I know, she didn’t pay, and for that reason alone, she should be banned from attending any future Hash. Stealing beers just exacerbates her crime. I’m pretty certain she won’t be showing her face in my presence again.
Saw the doc yesterday and got an antibiotic prescription. Hope it works before I leave for Thailand. I had a scary incident last night; I’ll post about it today.
Drain Snake writes:
I would also spread it around to cohorts. She should be the one made to feel uncomfortable, not you. Nothing like the specter of an enforced debt to keep an erstwhile “friend” away. Just a suggestion.
I totally agree.