Chronicles Revealed

Chapter 3: The Rain

The sky was overcast, dark and dreary and ominous, from the time I woke up and throughout the day. Rain was a foregone conclusion. It was just a matter of how strong and how long it would be. Not much wind, though. There was no low pressure area reported by the Weather Bureau, just an inter-tropical convergence zone of Ernie Baron causing the bleak atmosphere.

I thought of leaving earlier than usual. My collector wouldn't be coming back for the day. He asked me if he could go straight home after his client visits because of the inclement weather and I approved it. He was also going to pick up his children at school on the way. My collector is exactly a month younger than my son, born on the 28th of the month and both were good at computers.

I was about to leave when a client came in. He had a big long overdue account and would like to negotiate for installment payments. We actually entertain requests for a repayment plan whether the client deserves it or not. It is about giving the client the benefit of the doubt. We do not aim to prejudge a client's sincerity. Anyway, we always clarify to the client that if he reneges on his commitment, we will forfeit his payments, compute anew, and do whatever else is necessary, like filing a case in court, to fully settle the obligation. None of our options would be good to the client.

When the client gave me his name I found out that he was the younger brother of a close friend of mine, an Engineer. who is part of the group that is now building the longest bridge of Cebu, if not of the entire Philippines. To avoid embarrassing him, I did not tell him I know his elder brother. I looked into the history of the account and I found out that he had been a very good record, without any past due before. More often than not, he fully paid his outstanding obligation and if not pay a lot more than the minimum requirement.

What happened, I asked the client. You had a very good record before.

Business has been slow and I was busy looking for new clients. My sole buyer right now, a conglomerate, has drastically reduced my quota for the same reason of business slowdown. My daughter also gave birth by Caesarian Section to her first child and my first grandchild and I had to pay her substantial hospital bills. Her husband is still looking for work.

I understand, I said. Sometimes goods things and bad things collide. Business turned slow but you got a grandchild.

I filled up our installment repayment form and gave it to the client.

The terms of the repayment plan I gave the client were for P5,000.00 monthly for 36 months, no penalty, regular interest only, with post-dated checks, 10% prompt payment discount to be determined and credited to the client at the end of the term, no prepayment penalty and with applicable rebate if paid in full anytime before the expiration of the term. If you want you can have a shorter term and we will re-compute, accordingly. The monthly payment would be bigger. I told the client. I always start with the longest term because it looked easier for a client to pay.

P5,000.00 a month for 36 months is okay with me. I did not bring my checkbook with me. Can I give my checks tomorrow, the client asked.

It's okay with me. Please make your first check due 30 days from tomorrow and every 30 days thereafter up to the 36th month. Please print your name and sign above it on the Conforme part at the bottom of the document to indicate your agreement to the terms and conditions of your installment payment plan. I'll give you your copy tomorrow. Thank you, I said.

I guess I made a client happy. The client signed the agreement, thanked me with a smile and left. Soon after, I closed the office and left, also. It was quite a busy day for me, not just another day at the office.

Truth has always a way of surfacing no matter how much you keep it. A month after, I met the client again in the birthday party of his elder brother. He was surprised and I thought I saw some worry on his face.