Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 26oC, hottish, Sunny and a clear sky.
I’ve been on a roll since last Wednesday, and I’m still going strong.
The day began normally with a good workout and early coffee at the Portuguese bakery, followed by classes. Everything was ordinary until around four in the afternoon when I received a message from Tadeu, one of my pupils, asking if I could come to his flat to buy my flight ticket to England.
Tadeu has been my student on and off for the last 12 years. I went to his daughter, Ana Leticia’s wedding to Gabriel, who lives in Australia. Over the last four or five years, I would sometimes make a deal with Tadeu if I needed to buy something a little more expensive, like a cell phone or a flight ticket. We would deduct the credit card payments from the monthly tuition fees.
He receives miles that he can use to buy flight tickets to Australia to visit his daughter. Because of what he is doing for me, I usually also throw in some discount for future classes for the next six months even though it’s good for both of us.
Any good deal, no matter what must be good for both parties. If it’s only good for one side but not the other, then it’s not a good deal.
As mentioned, paying two or three monthly rents can be a financial burden. This sometimes makes it difficult to afford more expensive essentials for my personal growth. I suggested the idea about a month ago when I learned he would purchase a flight ticket to Australia at the beginning of next year.
It might help him receive a discount with the extra miles. Tadeu had been postponing the ticket purchase due to issues he had been dealing with, and I was almost giving up on him. I considered buying the ticket myself or finding someone to make a deal with.
When I arrived at Tadeu’s flat, I told him exactly what I intended to do. I then started looking for flight tickets and their prices on the internet. It’s important to note that I haven’t bought a flight ticket or flown in over 20 years, so everything is pretty new to me again.
It was a bit confusing at first, but I finally found a ticket that wasn’t too expensive. If I had bought the ticket a week earlier, I would have saved R$1000 Reais. However, you have little choice when you depend on others or commit to them, and then you have to wait.
I found the ticket, reserved my place, and Tadeu filled in his credit card details. When it was time to choose how many instalments to pay, only a maximum of four were available. We wanted to pay in six instalments but agreed that four was okay. I will pay Tadeu the difference every month.
Tadeu chose to pay in four instalments and clicked on the box. Everything went through without any problems. However, Tadeu realised that the system processed the payment as a single cash payment instead of four instalments.
This immediately caused confusion and shock. At the moment, I don’t have the financial means to pay the full price of R$3600 Reais, in addition to all the other expenses and living costs that I have to cover every month. Tadeu called the credit card company, and they informed him that they could not do anything about it: cancel the purchase, start over, or accept what had happened.
For me, cancelling the purchase was no problem. I could do it again or let it go. I could buy the ticket myself. However, Tadeu insisted that I not cancel, and I will have to find a way to pay as quickly as possible. Besides the classes, it obviously was not the ideal way to buy the ticket. It will cause me a little stress in the short term, but nothing serious.
The truth is that it’s a temporary situation. Everything in life is temporary, so why get uptight about it? It will be forgotten in six months. Ultimately, it’s just one more thing resolved in my life.
Now I have my flight ticket for England. I am going to England for the first time in over twenty years. I am on a roll. I am exercising and feeling good about myself. My documents are in order, and I am happy despite the issues with Yasmin. I am moving forward with building my websites.
In bed by 10:00 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
