Cutting off a freeloader.
You ever have one of those friendships that starts off as a nostalgic “aww, I missed you!” and ends with “wow, you might actually be the villain in my origin story”?
Yeah. That’s exactly what happened to me.
A few months ago, I reconnected with an old friend. She has two kids, both boys, who are sweet but… let’s just say “energetic” is the polite word for it. She’s technically “separated” from her husband, but they still live together.
I thought reconnecting would be nice. We’d hang out, talk about life, or have a little adult girl time.
At first, things seemed fine. But one thing stood out immediately. I was always the one paying.
Like, not sometimes, not splitting the bill, but always. Coffee dates, dinner, even random Target runs where she’d throw things in the cart like I had a trust fund. I brushed it off because I make a decent living and genuinely enjoy treating my friends… within reason.
But “within reason” started turning into “within bankruptcy.”
The first real red flag was dinner one night. I suggested Applebee’s because it’s affordable, easy, and has half-off appetizers that slap. I’m not picky. She, on the other hand, made a face like I’d…
