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AIBU?

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Friend Trip

67 replies

PennyLane12345 · 16/05/2024 02:23

So... I was planning a solo vacation and asked a friend to come along. She agreed and we planned a 7 day trip. All was fine, until day 6. We had been having a great day but then we had a small disagreement. It was stupid really, we brought up the common law versus marriage. I noted I thought they were the same thing minus the marriage certificate. She does not like when people disagree with her, for the most part in other situations like this with her, I just keep my mouth shut and don't express myself. However, this time she went off saying her and her common law are not married and she hasn't committed to him etc etc.. I noted to her they were common law and in a years long committed relationship.. she then got upset saying. " I didn't say any vows to him" and 3 times said "I'm not stupid I know the difference". I in turn told her, I had not called her stupid and it's OK to disagree and have a normal discussion still. I then proceeded to walk away and went and sat in another area to cool off. She then came over and sat by me, which fine, but I needed some time to myself. I got up and told her I needed a second and was going to go chill in our hotel room. She then said "we'll when are you coming back and I need up there too" I responded with "I just need a second like idk" and began walking to the room. She followed behind me. I got in the room and used the bathroom. When I came out of the bathroom, she ask for my room key however, my intentions were to go outside on the hotel grounds thus I needed my key. I again said to her, I just need some time, I am going outside. She then got very upset and said I was being a bitch.. she repeated it multiple times "you're acting like a bitch" I was in shock, and when this happens, I shut down. I responded with "we'll how so?" Badically asking why she thought I was a bitch. She then started doing impressions of me saying in a mocking voice "I need a minute, give me some time to myself" and accused me of treating her like her husband. To this, I left the room with no arguing. I took some time, came back and showered etc.. it was very awkward. I was then just relaxing and reading and she was kind of pacing around. I had no words, no thoughts on how to move forward with her. She then said sooo.. what do you want to do.. as if we should just go about the day. I said to her, "I'm not sure, I don't know what to say". She then said well, what your just going to ignore me and I said "I just don't know what to say or do after that". She then again got upset with me and said "I'm leaving tell me when you figure it out" and stormed out of our room. The rest of the trip was just awkward. I had a couple to dos to check off our last day and choose to do them alone.

Overall, my thoughts are I don't want to be friends with someone who mocks me and does impressions of me like that or calls me a bitch. I find this hurtful especially to then further act as if I am in the wrong and not acknowledge her behavior towards me. I would have been more then willing to address any wrong doings on my part but she was hostile so we weren't able to have an appropriate discussion.

Any thoughts?

OP posts:
Wolfpa · 16/05/2024 15:47

Neither one of you comes out smelling of roses. You should have backed off she shouldn’t have been calling you names.

cordeliachaseatemyhandbag · 16/05/2024 15:40

You were wrong then instead of admitting you were wrong you stormed off refusing to talk now you're having a go at her for being upset?

Isometimeswonder · 16/05/2024 15:36

Are you both 12?

MissUltraViolet · 16/05/2024 15:10

You both sound ridiculous and childish and are both at fault. You shouldn't have continued to push the conversation and your opinion on her when it sounds like she tried to make it stop. You then left and instead of trying to sort it out like adults when she approached you left again saying you need space (for what was at that point a small disagreement? dramatic.)

It then escalated in the room and thats her fault, she was rude.

You both need to say sorry and move on.

Aworldofmyown · 16/05/2024 14:55

You sound pretty childish. She shouldn't have called you a bitch but your behaviour prior to that was quite goady and difficult.

PennyLane12345 · 16/05/2024 14:48

Ok. So I was in the wrong? I keep reflecting and don't see where my actions warrant the following around, nasty names and impressions. As of now, my view is, friends don't treat friends like that, disagreement or not and I don't want someone like that in my life. I'll keep reflecting 🤷

OP posts:
pootlin · 16/05/2024 14:30

PennyLane12345 · 16/05/2024 14:18

Maybe I didn't convey myself properly. The disagreement was about the difference between common law and marriage. She desrcibes her relationship as common law, not me. I noted common law relationships are the same as marriage minus the legal nature. We don't live in the UK.

But that's what she said, that common law is not marriage, and you still argued with her. I can see why she may have thought you were gaslighting her.

Hoppinggreen · 16/05/2024 14:27

Why did you need her to agree you were right though?
The subject was obviously upsetting for her so why not just talk about something else?

PennyLane12345 · 16/05/2024 14:18

Maybe I didn't convey myself properly. The disagreement was about the difference between common law and marriage. She desrcibes her relationship as common law, not me. I noted common law relationships are the same as marriage minus the legal nature. We don't live in the UK.

OP posts:
BoudiccaOfSuburbia · 16/05/2024 11:08

AffIt · 16/05/2024 10:07

Given the time that the OP posted at, I think it's likely that she is in Australia, where common law marriage (or de facto relationships, as they're termed) is valid in some states.

Then when clearly discussing something about the friend’s life the ‘objective discussion’ approach is ‘if you’ve checked out your legal position then that’s great. AllI’m saying is best to be sure’. Not bang on about someone else’s relationship.

Sdpbody · 16/05/2024 10:44

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

AffIt · 16/05/2024 10:07

Given the time that the OP posted at, I think it's likely that she is in Australia, where common law marriage (or de facto relationships, as they're termed) is valid in some states.

pootlin · 16/05/2024 09:07

However, this time she went off saying her and her common law are not married and she hasn't committed to him etc etc.. I noted to her they were common law and in a years long committed relationship..

Which country are you in?

ForAPicnic · 16/05/2024 08:54

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines - previously banned poster.

elevens24 · 16/05/2024 08:51

There's no common law in UK. You were wrong to insist that there was and try to define her relationship (unless you're in a country where CL is a law).

Not giving her a room key when she asked was petty. Why do her needs trump yours? Your responses were a bit passive aggressive and wingey.

She shouldn't have called you names.

Testina · 16/05/2024 08:50

3 times said "I'm not stupid I know the difference". I in turn told her, I had not called her stupid and it's OK to disagree and have a normal discussion still

So it sounds like you were rudely banging on about common law relationships, and then turned patronising. Why were you lecturing (it seems?) her about her relationship “status” anyway?

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 16/05/2024 08:31

I think you made a hypothetical disagreement a bit too personal- you were discussing something in general, but then brought her own relationship into it. I don't think many people would react well to their relationship being picked apart or being told its different to how they see it.

But she sounds a bit pathetic, following you around repeatedly when you need some space, telling you that you were acting like a bitch, and mocking you

I'd apologise for bringing her relationship up in a disagreement but explain how you didn't appreciate her ignoring your need for a bit of space, being told you were acting like a bitch, or being mocked, for simply requesting a bit of time out.

BoudiccaOfSuburbia · 16/05/2024 08:05

Well.

You were in the wrong about ‘Common law’. There is no such thing as common law marriage , the legal contract of marriage happens on marriage. But you kept pressing your mistaken point.

During this you failed to notice that for whatever reason the subject was upsetting her personally, and didn’t take that as a cue to drop it.

You walked away from her (belying your insistence that disagreement is ok), and having had a few moments to calm down / let it drop you said ‘I need space’ and walked away two further times when she was trying to resume normal communication . Which would come across to me as a major sulk or drama queen episode .

I accept that she has a pattern of not liking to be wrong etc, but I think your behaviour caused this discussion to get out of hand.

Being on holiday with people is testing.

Justcallmebebes · 16/05/2024 08:03

I agree it sounds like she is unhappy in her relationship and you triggered her in some way, especially as, if you are in the UK, she is correct, there is no such thing in law as a common law marriage.
She shouldn't have called you a bitch though and mocked your voice
So you were both unreasonable really

PrincessHoneysuckle · 16/05/2024 08:00

How old are you both?

hopscotcher · 16/05/2024 07:56

It seems odd to me that things are normally fine with her, and had been up to that point in the holiday, if this is the sort of thing that happens when you have conflict. It sounds like you touched a nerve (perhaps not intentionally) with the common law thing. I wonder (from the fact that she said 'I'm not stupid' 3 times) if she felt you were hammering your point home a bit. She could also have some other stuff going on - you say she accused you of 'treating her like her husband' - could she be going through some personal difficulties which made her a bit sensitive in that conversation?
Agree that she was out of order in using the word 'bitch' and following you when you wanted to be alone.
Is the friendship important enough for you to try and salvage it? You say you had no words for her at the time - could you find some now and attempt a reconciliatory conversation?

ZenNudist · 16/05/2024 07:51

Are you from the UK? If yes then you are firmly in the wrong as there is no such thing as common law here and needling your friend that she was as good as married would have been cruel and incorrect. She sounds unhappy in her relationship.

If you are not from the UK and in fact right then she shouldn't have mocked you.

FriendlyNeighbourhoodAccountant · 16/05/2024 07:46

Assuming you're in the UK there's no such thing as common law, so no it isn't marriage without the piece of paper.

She sounds sulky and a bit immature but you sound condescending and passive aggressive so the friendship has probably run its course.

KrisAkabusi · 16/05/2024 07:39

You insisted you were right and knew more about her relationship than she did. You told her it's ok to disagree and have a normal discussion, but you then refused to have a discussion and walked away. When she went to clear the air you walked away again. And a third time you refused to talk and tried to walk away. That's not "ok to disagree and discuss", that's you being childish.

Oriunda · 16/05/2024 07:37

YABU. Assuming you're both in UK (and as this is a UK site, that's the logical assumption unless you state otherwise), there is no such thing as common law. Many women make this assumption and think it affords them protection; it doesn't. So your friend is correct. Maybe she hates that she's not protected by a certificate. Anyway, you were in addition unreasonable to keep insisting.

YABU to decide that your shared space was where you wanted to cool off. Where was your friend supposed to go in the meantime? You want space, you go for a walk.

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