Simple & Charming

On our second morning, I asked the lady whether it was safe to take the subway. She advised me to leave valuable jewelry behind and even asked if my necklace was gold. She seemed trustworthy, and I didn't want us to draw attention, so I took off my necklace and diamond ring. I admit I shouldn't have done that. I put them very carefully in a bag inside another bag, hidden among my clothes on purpose. When we returned that night and I went to put my ring back on the next morning, it was gone. We told her son, who called her. She said, “I am running errands, I will be there later.” I couldn't understand that response. If there had been a theft at a business I owned, I'd go immediately, especially over a diamond ring. We waited all day. When we came back at the time she'd given us, she was there with her “attorney,” but I couldn't get hold of him when I tried to contact him. She blamed the cleaning girl. The girl denied it, but didn't cry. If I'd been accused of something I hadn't done, I think I'd be panicking about going to jail. Instead, she was just playing with her phone. It seemed to me as if it had all been planned among them, though all we could do was file a police report. We were foreigners leaving the next day, so what else could we do? It was a terrible experience. I've taken a long time to write this because it was so upsetting and I wanted to forget it, but I feel I should warn anyone considering a stay here. Do not stay here. I believe they are thieves.