I am kinda naive...

Some people are naturally suspicious of people. I am not one of them. 

Those people who are suspicious of people, tend to parse words said by others. They are always able to find the hidden motives of people from the words they utter. They are easily able to link the events that occurred previously to the words being mentioned now. 

Take the case of my boss. He is the master at understanding how people behave. When one person quit my company, he called me up and told me to take care of some of the key people because they were close to the person who quit. (I know it is a bad example. Even I knew this). My boss knows that because X has joined the company, Y, a totally unrelated individual, is expected to quite very soon.

Another example. If an employee calls in sick, my boss knows if he is really sick or if he has taken leave to attend an interview. 

'Trust but Verify' is his motto.

As I said before, I am not like that.

I trust people and believe that they are inherently good. I think that people will tell and do the right thing, especially if I have known them for a long time.

Take the case of my driver. This incident started from about three weeks ago.

About a month ago, he informed me that he is leaving my work and will return to his native village for the job of a driver. He told me that Mumbai is very expensive and he is feeling lonely because his family is out there in the village. And very recently he had become the father of a baby girl.

How long will he stay as my driver?

Sir, I have to pay you back 4000 rupees. I will pay the same over the next two months and then leave.

I believed him.

About three weeks ago, he took about 4 days leave for Ganesh Puja, which is a very important festival in Maharashtra. He did not return on the 5th day. On about the 7th day he called me and informed me that he will need to extend his leave as his wife was sick. 

He returned after about 10 days, on 26th or so, very close to the pay day, which is the 30th.

I discussed with him as to when he will leave. He told me that he will pay back 4000, 2000 this month and 2000 next, and will leave. I believed him. Since he was going to stay with me for another month, I decided not to deduct the leave salary and paid him the entire amount of Rs.10000.

He promptly paid me 2000.

That night, he send me an SMS and informed me that he is going to his village and that he will not be available.

Ain't I naive?

Shouldn't I have cut his leave salary? I could have paid it along with his next month pay. This is what HR of any company does very regularly. 

I believed him when he said that he will pay back my entire amount and then leave. 

My boss would have linked the fact that he took an extended holiday in his village and that he had only his (my driver's) word that his wife was sick, and that he conveniently returned around the pay day.

These were huge clues. 

My boss would have deducted 10 days of pay. I didn't.

I am naive.

PS: Before he left, my driver identified another good driver for me. That is decent of him. He need not have done this. I think he felt guilty of cheating me.

I don't know.