I have a longstanding friend of 20+ years and she has been a good friend where we have supported each other through things like deaths, relationship breakups etc. I live in the same town as her, whereas her other friends are far away.
However, over the past few years, I get the feeling that I'm always the one she turns to when she wants a favour.
I have done things like pick up shopping when she's ill, walk the dog, pick up bulky items or go to the tip. Now to be fair, she has always paid me petrol money or cooked a meal in return and I have been happy to help. She has also helped me out when I was incapacitated. But over the last few days, I did her a massive favour and just feel used. .
I'm self employed and was working from home this week. She called me one day to say she had broken down and could I come and collect her. Apparently, the breakdown service could not attend for six hours and she had a job that evening she could not afford to miss (works on contract). So I drove there and home and lost 1.5 hours of work time.
I had to return her early to her car the next day and wait around until the breakdown van reappeared. Another 2.5 hours of my day gone. So I drove over 100 miles in total and wasted an afternoon. Friend had said she was quoted £75 for a taxi there and back. She was very, very grateful, thanked me and said that of course she would give me £20 towards petrol. I was fine with this but then she said she had no cash on her and would drop it off later. Nothing has been offered. To be honest, I would have been happy with a token gesture, say a box of chocs, as a thank you for the time and petrol I lost.
I am secretly seething because of the disruption it caused me and the fact she made a big deal of giving petrol money (told me 3 times she would do this) then just ignored it. I know she doesn"t have much money but then neither do I. I saved her the cost of the taxi and ensured she got paid for her evening job. How would you feel in these circumstances?