Are we hopelessly naive? (Neighbour issue)

[Mightysquirrel]

My friend has lived in her house for about a decade and has a friendly relationship with the couple next door. They're not close but they wave and chat if their paths cross. She recently shared her phone number and email with the man of the couple. A few days ago she got a text from him asking if she'd seen his email. So she read his email, he asked for her help with something he called "My life as a pet". She replied saying she'd be happy to help but what did he mean? I'll tell you his reply if anyone's interested but first:

YABU - Were you born yesterday?
YANBU - Maybe he's writing a children's book? (My friend's in publishing)

@SquishySquirmy

Bagelsandbrie They live next door to each other. There are loads of reasons why swopping phone numbers with a neighbour can be very useful. Lots of people do it.

I don't like your implication that op's friend was somehow asking for trouble for swopping contact details with a neighbour, even if she didn't know them that well (how do you get to know people better if you only swop contact details with people you are already close to??)

Contact details are not an invite to overstep boundaries in a deeply creepy way (if the pet thing is what I suspect).

Sorry I don’t agree. If I wanted to give my neighbours a way to contact me for emergency reasons I’d give a note addressed to both of them with my number on it. I do understand that there are circumstances where you might want a neighbour to have your details, however the way it was worded was that she’s given her number and email (why both?) to the man in the couple.

It’s quite normal where I am to never really have any contact with your neighbours.

Oh Lordy, seems I’m totally naive

I want to know what his reply was!

The other error she made was saying "she'd be happy to help" while, at the same time, acknowledging that she didn't know what he meant.
Surely, you'd clarify what sort of assistance was required, before you offered it?

I have the phone numbers of my next door neighbours (both sides) and next door but one as well. We aren't friends but are friendly and it's proved useful more than once. That bit isn't weird to me at all.

It's just so disappointing that as usual, it turns out that the bloke is trying it on.

@BeenThruMoreThanALilBit

Oh Lordy, seems I’m totally naive

I want to know what his reply was!

Me too

No idea...only commenting to find out what the reply was

Him naked on all fours wearing a studded leather collar, licking from a dog bowl on the floor.

His wife made him do this as part of his humiliation.

Or maybe I spent too long living in Brighton. 🤣

Is he George Galloway?

He's offering her the lead in his latest movie.

this was on Dharma and Greg YEARS ago (cat) and more recently on IIRC Midsomer (horse)

There's already a book with that title, apparently.

Happy to help = blow job in man speak

I'm confused

I'm confused and need to know too 🤣

Slow day here stuck inside with the weather!

Okay, it seems we were being terribly naive.
But first it's not unusual to have your neighbor's numbers around here, she has other people's numbers and so do I. He's not quite a stranger even though they're not friends. She's known him for more than 10 years.

So, he told her he'd like to put a cage in her cellar. He'll be her pet and get in it. He didn't give any more details except to say he's already got a cage. In his cellar I guess. I don't want to think about it too much. She replied that she can't help.
I've met him once or twice and he seemed very ordinary. He's a retired teacher FFS.

Some sort of children’s computer game?

He's already got a cage in his cellar? OMG!

Someone needs to check his hard drive immediately. What a vile and potentially dangerous human being.

Yeah, I knew it would be BDSM.

He's already wanked off on the fantasy.

Fucker.

WTF? If I was your friend I'd tell him this was highly offensive and if he contacted me again I'd be going to the police. What a fucking idiot he sounds.

@Mightysquirrel

Okay, it seems we were being terribly naive. But first it's not unusual to have your neighbor's numbers around here, she has other people's numbers and so do I. He's not quite a stranger even though they're not friends. She's known him for more than 10 years.

So, he told her he'd like to put a cage in her cellar. He'll be her pet and get in it. He didn't give any more details except to say he's already got a cage. In his cellar I guess. I don't want to think about it too much. She replied that she can't help.
I've met him once or twice and he seemed very ordinary. He's a retired teacher FFS.

well this wins most bizarre thread of the month and it’s only the 2nd.

Someone needs to check his hard drive immediately. What a vile and potentially dangerous human being.

You do realise that he's the one in the cage?

So, he told her he'd like to put a cage in her cellar. He'll be her pet and get in it.

Obviously. What else could he have meant?

Maybe ‘My life as a pet’ is code for this of thing, in the same way that inviting someone in for coffee, doesn’t mean just coffee... .

What makes him think that, having lived next door to her for ten years, she will indulge in this. Has she suddenly planted pampas grass or something?

I’d be calling purple bricks