Jamo sat there in a stupor and frantically asked, "Who would do such a despicable act, and can the person(s) who did this be arrested and brought to justice, and will I get my money back?"
The manager looked at him with regret and replied, "The answer is no; most of these people operate outside of the United States, and there is nothing the law can do; they have no jurisdiction to go into another country and make arrests, press charges, or retrieve your money."
Confused and angry, Jamo wanted to know if there was anyway to tell where the e-mail came from, but the manager could not help him. The bank manager finally told him that the person who stole the money probably left that country. Usually, when someone receives the funds, he or she will close the account and disappear.
To see if there was an e-mail from Malana, Jamo went on-line. There was nothing. He started to worry. Why had she not contacted him? He checked the envelope, which she had sent the materials in, for a return address, but there was none. He then remembered the bank that received his money was in Benin. It had finally dawned on him. She had stolen his money.
How could I have allowed myself to be taken in by such a person? Jamo asked himself.
He was so distraught and thought about all the dumb things he did, in the name of love, like purchasing a ring, renting an apartment and putting in time and effort into furnishing the place for a woman who did not give a hoop about him.
In hindsight, the clues were present: Her haste to come to D.C., the interest in his trust fund, the purported emergency call she received, and her persistence to create an on-line bank account.
Love and lust clouded his judgment. He was so good at maneuvering people but could have never seen Malana using him in such a cruel way.
When Jamo was a little boy, he would always hear his grandparents say, "You always get back what you give out."
He thought about those words and wondered was this some kind of reprimand for all the cunning acts he had done in the past, and how was he going to tell his parents. Eventually, they would find out. If they knew about Malana, it would not be long before they would find out about his dilemma.
How do you tell your folks that you lost nearly one million dollars at the click of a mouse? he pondered.
When Jamo's parents got home, he sat them down and explained what had happened. They were literally in a state of shock. He saw the anger and the disappointment in their faces. What more could he say but that he was sorry for bringing such shame to the family.