What does そこで待たせてもらいなさい mean?


I was recently watching となりのトトロ and came across this. What does it mean? I
feel like I do somehow understand the grammar in here, but as a whole, it
doesn't make much sense to me.

For more context, dad and his daughter are talking on the phone, and the dad
says this sentence to her. So my reasoning is "Get (someone) to let you stay
here"? I don't really know. Or, "Give yourself the permission to stay here"? -
Does that really make sense in this context?




I think you are close.

First consider

  * そこで待たせる = let/make (somebody) wait there.

The sentence is appended by X(し)てもらう, which means _have (somebody) do X_ with
implied benefits to the receiver. So literally

  * そこで待たせてもらう = have (somebody) let (somebody2) wait there.

Now by context, somebody = the people of the house where the girl is calling
and somebody2 = the girl. Thus a literal translation would be: _Have them let
you wait there_. Basically it says "Ask them a favor and wait there".

