There were a hundred and one reasons why I should not have even given this woman the time of day... but I did... and with good grace...
Until one weekend she persuaded me to re-decorate my bedroom (huge re-carpetting, room swap venture) So, I de-constructed dd's room took up carpets and shifted everything into the space that was my hall/bathroom/old bedroom - ready for the great 'friend' decorating experience... she came round for a mere two hours - buggered off to do a photo shoot and left her dd 13 for me to look after/cook for/entertain...
...and didn't come back for six hours I told her that I didn't want her to come back to help me... she picked up her dd and I declined her offers of help over the next two days... have not contacted her - and she has not contacted me since...
She doe's a very good impression of a wounded face/or bitchy smirk when we meet, we have mutual friends who have now started to either/or us when inviting us to parties and barbeques etc.
Life's been so much better since I told her I didn't want her 'help' - it must be nearly six months since we have spoken.
This woman would call into my house for a cuppa at least three times a week, I'd be invited for supper - to pop out for a drink (so she could eye up, chat up, give evils to (depending on current romatic situation she was in)) some bloke or other. If I had heard once how heartbroken she was I had heard it literally a thousand times.
I have in the past had to stop with my sister and her family for a few days to get out of her way, especially when I was pg with ds, who's now nearly 3. Despite my resentment of her, I would always let her call, drop by, attend things I was invited to. I would always try to offer her the best of my advice (which she seemed to be constantly asking for) And always she would ignore or at least find reasons for not being able to follow...
She could be fun - she was also a vile touter of Daily Mail views - she was racist, even to my face, she was vile about my teen dd, to her face and to mine, she was verbally violent to her own dd (almost without knowing it)
She had taken up a course in photography and couldn't stop taking photo's of my ds, who at 2 I was keen on her not making him self aware. I don't just mean one or two at a time - at least 50 shots during a walk in the park - shouting his name over and over so he'd look at the camera.
I have heard she is waiting for an apology I have no intention of doing any such thing and wouldn't know where to start explaining why I behaved as I did. Well, certainly not without using some pretty colourful language and making her feel like shit.
Oh bugger, don't really know why it's bothering me so much that I end up ranting here. Apologies, do tell me if I am unreasonable - I know I shouldn't have let the woman monopolize so much of my time in the past - but she was always one of those 'I've done this for you - you can't refuse to do this for me' kind of people...