This is really a small thing, but I'm so pissed off (maybe unreasonably!) that I'm still up at 2am!
There's a ballet on in the next town where my girls do ballet that they wanted to go and watch, as lots of their friends are in it and it's one they've been in themselves but not watched. I agreed to book them tickets, at £15 a head for the cheap seats. Online, there was a £4 booking fee. I said, I really can't go over the £30 so we'll book direct at the theatre when we're down there.
Tonight, DD2 was being picked up by a friend of mine from ballet. He's a single bloke, not much to do and is more than happy to collect her (I'm working) and bring her home in return for a home cooked meal. I asked if he could take DD2 to the box office after ballet to buy the tickets. He said no problem. I gave DD2 the £30 cash in an envelope and wrote down the exact seat numbers and price. She's 12, so I thought she would be capable of dealing with it.
When we got back, friend said "they didn't have those seats, only rubbish ones at the side, so we bought seats in the dress circle. I put it on my credit card and you owe me an extra £4 because you didn't give DD2 enough."
I thought this was odd so I checked on the internet and there were the seats we wanted, still available. But, stupid theatre has two sets of seats with the same number, one set in the dress circle and one in the stalls, and both friend and theatre took it upon themselves to say we wouldn't get a very good view in the stalls.
DD1 was cross because she likes to sit very near and the cheap seats we wanted were right at the front. She's not interested in the loveliness of the ballet as such, she wants to look at the footwork. So she's in a monumental strop about having to sit miles up. I was very cross because I had made it clear that £30 was my max. But as friend had done us a favour in collecting DD2 and going to theatre, I couldn't be too annoyed with him, though I was very annoyed inside. I made DD2 cough up the £4 for not following instructions and because I said I had made it clear I was not paying more and had sent her there to save the £4 booking fee.
So now I have: DD1 in a strop, DD2 in tears, friend saying I am mean to DD2, seats we don't want, the seats we do still available, and me cross because I wasted all that effort for nothing and could have booked over the phone for only £2.50 fee. Theatre will change the seats but only for an extra £1.50. This makes me crosser still.
Who is most unreasonable? Friend should not have taken it upon himself to spend money on my behalf, but I can see was just doing what he thought best. DD2 should have had a bit more sense and spoken up, she knew £30 was my top limit. Theatre quite obviously persuaded them into pricier seats when I had the seats we wanted written down in black and white, and told us they were gone (assuming circle instead of stalls) when actually they weren't. Or maybe me because I'm getting so het up over so little - and I really don't know why!
Or, just tell me to stop being pathetic and go to sleep!