Reversal of fortune

So, after a 7-8 month hiatus, I made it back to Kazan. As a background, the “dancer/ attendant” that I had grown attached to, Margo, had contacted me out of the blue in between Thanksgiving and Christmas via WhatsApp. At our last meeting in Kazan, I had mentioned that I would like to send her a gift. She stated she would like some new shoes but once I got back to the States, time got away and this totally fell off my radar screen. Obviously, it had not fallen off hers as her messages inquired about her shoes. So I got her Russian shoe size, her desired design style, hit some of the discounted shoe stores in my town, and bought her a pair. With the holiday sales, the price of the shoes was way less than the price of postage to send them to Kazan. She also had to reveal to me her “real name” as the gift had to go through Russian customs.

So I sent the shoes off as a belated Christmas gift (not knowing how long it would take for the package to arrive) and figured things were done. However, after the shoes arrived, she was very excited and happy. And she started writing to me frequently (some of you already know where this story is leading . . . But keep reading, there is a total twist at the end!). From her messages, I discovered she had the use of her “boss’s” phone for a month — and that she had originally Whatsapped me with her boss’s phone — as her own phone was accidentally damaged and no longer functioning. She apparently had an iPhone, and had a very expensive line of credit that she was still paying on despite no longer having a phone that worked, and she wanted me to “send her $400” so she could get a new phone. I told her that while I wouldn’t send her the money through the mail, I would plan to help her out the next time I saw her. The messages continued throughout the month and I enjoy texting with her, finding out various things about her non-salon life.

Then, as the month ended, our correspondence did as well. I did get some sporadic texts and I did mention that I was going to be returning in May.