Luciano - 05 May 2025

On Saturday morning (03 May), I got a call from Luciano to say he's on his way to Gavin's workshop to sort out an electrical problem on his future father-in-law's Toyota Landcruiser. He asked if \I wanted to meet him there? (I saw later he had already sent me a message just after 7am to ask the same, but \I hadn't seen it). I said of course, and told him I would be there in a little while.

We arrive at the same time, the workshop is closed? Call Gavin, he's on his way to drop a truck off at the mechanic for repairs. I have remotes that open his workshop, so we open and go in. We check what's needed, realise the battery of the Cruiser is cooked, so get it jump started, and drive to the battery shop.

On the way his phone pings, and he looks at the message and says "Shit!" I ask, and he tells me his debit orders have gone though, but he does not have enough money in his account to cover them. Luckily, his bank won't bounce the debit orders, but they will flag his account for the future, which isn't good either way.

So I take out my phone, and offer to transfer some money to him. He's not really wanting me to, but knows he needs it, so agrees, and I transfer R5k into his account. Another ping on his phone, and he's in credit again., A small thing, but it helped. (Not like I can afford it, but that's a discussion for a different blog!)

Some background - Luciano resigned from his job a week or two ago. After 9 years, and doing very well, he's had enough. After Covid they really never recovered properly. He was in the Commercial and Industrial property business. Biggest business was leasing of office space. But with so many companies allowing their staff to work from home, they were either not moving, or worse still downscaling, so his business was really struggling. Further to this, his boss had bought out his two partners late November last year, and has since pulled the company though his arse, depending on a dictator style of management, which has cost him some of his better salespeople, and now also Luciano.

He has also pulled R2m out of the company since then (some to build a proper soccer practice pitch at his house for his son!), leaving them with little or no cashflow for advertising, etc. He will lose that business sooner rather than later - Stupid person!

Anyway, Luciano had spoken with his future father-in-law about this, and he was told that he would keep him financed to the tune of 100k a month till Luciano managed to get his own thing going. Great - no risk, no downside.

So back at the workshop, I ask him about this money, and my son turns his head away and bursts into tears. That killed me - he's my baby, and my son, and my wingman. He quickly composes himself, but I can se he's really scare, does not answer my question, and talks about the job at hand. All I could say was "You will be okay, have faith." I also let him know that if he needed it, I would raise my credit card limit and get him the money that way. Not sure how I'll manage the repayment, but that's a problem for later.

He's got himself in a bit of a pickle, what with getting engaged, moving into a house together which costs them more a month in rent than I earn in a month, still has his medical aid, probably a retirement policy of sorts - his monthly running costs are around R60k. He's maxed out 2 credit cards.... Ah, it's a royal fuckup!

But we keep praying, and hope it all works out. He's my boy.......