His motto was, "A person should live below his or her means, and always save for a rainy day."
Therefore, when his daughter sent all of her money to Gabon and subsequently lost it all, he was shocked and started to wonder if his daughter was under some kind of hypnotic spell while she was communicating with this man. Perhaps Toto was sprinkling goofa dust on the letters that he was sending to her, he thought.
The aroma from the bacon and eggs, waffles, and coffee was so tempting that Nia could not resist joining her parents for breakfast. Inhaling a mouthful of fresh air before going downstairs, she was not looking forward to facing her parents. She figured now would be a good time to explain what happened but would leave out most of the facts.
As she sat down at the table, she started to tell her parents what had taken place but never told them that Toto had used all of her money to pay off his debts.
She said, "Toto and I had invested all of our money into a business venture, which was a sure winner, but the deal fell through when one of the investors had disappeared with all of the money." She just could not bring herself to tell them that her fiancé was the culprit.
Her father, being a perceptive man, did not buy her story. His daughter was a bright money manager. She would have never put all of her eggs into one basket.
Her mother just sat there in amazement and did not know what to think or say.
Nevertheless, her parents decided not to push the subject any further and concluded that if their daughter wanted them to know more, she would have told them.
After breakfast, Nia went back to her bedroom and contemplated her next move. She knew staying with her mom and dad was not an option, because having her own space was an indication of being independent. Without delay, Nia contacted some of her business associates and friends. Because of her excellent negotiating skills, she would have no problems finding a job.
In no time, she got a position as a financial consultant at a bank in mid-town Manhattan. The starting salary was sixty-five thousand dollars. For her, it was like starting all over.
The company did offer good benefits, which included complete health care coverage, a pension plan, bonuses, paid holidays, sick leave, paid personal days, and two weeks paid vacation after one year of employment.
She would work in the Mutual Funds Division. Her job was to get customers with large accounts to invest their money into these funds.