I am upset this morning, and I guess I am just looking for validation.
A little background: 3 years ago, a fairly good friend came in to my workplace, crying because she needed to borrow $100. right away, there was a payment due on something and they didn't have any money. This was a few weeks after 9/11, and my husband had already been told that when the Canadian troops left to go to Afghanistan, he would be with them. I suggested to my friend that I would give her $200. immediately, but that we would consider it a pre-payment for babysitting services for when DH was away ( we had just moved to a new neighborhood, and I needed an occasional evening sitter because I had to work nights a couple of times a week). She agreed, my husband went to sea, and she did, in fact, babysit twice, 4 hours each time. The last time she had my kids, they borrowed one of her daughters movies to watch at home, and would return it the next time I brought them to her.
She was scheduled to babysit for me for a full day, and 3 days before, she called me to tell me she could no longer babysit because she had just gotten hired for a full time job, and included Saturdays ( the day she was to sit for me). She agreed that she owed me the money I had pre-paid. She continued to acknowledge that she owed me money for several months, and then we stopped calling each other. In Aug/02 (nearly a year later) I called her and asked for the money back. She told me her DH & DD were away on holiday, and that they had also had an unexpected car repair, so she didn't have any money. She moved shortly thereafter, and changed her phone number to unlisted. Several months later, a mutual friend gave me her new number, and I called a few times and left messages, but she did not return my calls.
As fate would have it, I ran into her at the mall on Saturday. After making small talk for a few minutes I finally summoned the courage to ask for the money back. I was so nervous that I dropped the pen when I tried to write down my phone number for her so she could call me and make arrangements for repayment.
This morning she called, wanted my address to send post dated cheques. She said " I remember the circumstances, didn't I babysit for you to pay that back?" I told her, yes,she did, twice for 4 hours each time. She then deducted $40 from what she owed for payment for babysitting. Fair enough. Then she said "And you've had DD's movie for HOW LONG?!?" I said that I had offered to return it several times, that I had called and asked for my money back 2 years ago, and then she moved without telling me where she went or giving me a number to contact her to return the movie, and that when I did finally get her new number, she wouldn't return my calls. We finally agreed that I would drop off the movie to her at her work today, and she will give me post dated cheques.
I am still stunned by this persons attitude and confrontational manner. She is worrying about having a $20. children's movie returned ( her daughter is now nearly 13) and meantime she has had my $200 for 3 YEARS!!
They say you can't put a price on friendship; apparently you can, and it's 200 bucks.
A little background: 3 years ago, a fairly good friend came in to my workplace, crying because she needed to borrow $100. right away, there was a payment due on something and they didn't have any money. This was a few weeks after 9/11, and my husband had already been told that when the Canadian troops left to go to Afghanistan, he would be with them. I suggested to my friend that I would give her $200. immediately, but that we would consider it a pre-payment for babysitting services for when DH was away ( we had just moved to a new neighborhood, and I needed an occasional evening sitter because I had to work nights a couple of times a week). She agreed, my husband went to sea, and she did, in fact, babysit twice, 4 hours each time. The last time she had my kids, they borrowed one of her daughters movies to watch at home, and would return it the next time I brought them to her.
She was scheduled to babysit for me for a full day, and 3 days before, she called me to tell me she could no longer babysit because she had just gotten hired for a full time job, and included Saturdays ( the day she was to sit for me). She agreed that she owed me the money I had pre-paid. She continued to acknowledge that she owed me money for several months, and then we stopped calling each other. In Aug/02 (nearly a year later) I called her and asked for the money back. She told me her DH & DD were away on holiday, and that they had also had an unexpected car repair, so she didn't have any money. She moved shortly thereafter, and changed her phone number to unlisted. Several months later, a mutual friend gave me her new number, and I called a few times and left messages, but she did not return my calls.
As fate would have it, I ran into her at the mall on Saturday. After making small talk for a few minutes I finally summoned the courage to ask for the money back. I was so nervous that I dropped the pen when I tried to write down my phone number for her so she could call me and make arrangements for repayment.
This morning she called, wanted my address to send post dated cheques. She said " I remember the circumstances, didn't I babysit for you to pay that back?" I told her, yes,she did, twice for 4 hours each time. She then deducted $40 from what she owed for payment for babysitting. Fair enough. Then she said "And you've had DD's movie for HOW LONG?!?" I said that I had offered to return it several times, that I had called and asked for my money back 2 years ago, and then she moved without telling me where she went or giving me a number to contact her to return the movie, and that when I did finally get her new number, she wouldn't return my calls. We finally agreed that I would drop off the movie to her at her work today, and she will give me post dated cheques.
I am still stunned by this persons attitude and confrontational manner. She is worrying about having a $20. children's movie returned ( her daughter is now nearly 13) and meantime she has had my $200 for 3 YEARS!!
They say you can't put a price on friendship; apparently you can, and it's 200 bucks.
