Dear Prudie,
About a year ago, I loaned a large sum of money to a former co-worker with the understanding that he would pay it back. His salary is low, and money is always tight for him. I earn a generous salary and have plenty of money in savings, although I am still working on establishing myself financially. When I loaned him the money I understood that there was a significant chance he would not pay me back. A year went by without any contact from my former co-worker, and I assumed that my "loan" was effectively a donation to him and his family. The loanee has recently contacted me and told me he is going to start paying me back bit by bit now that he has gotten a raise and is not living paycheck to paycheck. Do I accept repayment, when I have enough money and he is still making much less?