My friend and I have been close since childhood through family friends. I went to college and worked in a big city before moving back to my hometown during COVID. He moved to London before COVID and now lives in Dubai. Ever since I moved back, he sometimes makes fun of me for living in my hometown, saying it’s a shithole compared to where he lives. The thing is, I actually like my hometown, and so does my wife. We have a kid, I work a hybrid job and travel to the city twice a week, and I even have an apartment there. Moving back wasn’t because I couldn’t make it in the city; it was simply my choice, and I’m happy with it. What annoys me is that he seems to think living in a big city or abroad somehow makes him better than me, especially considering his wealthy family helped him financially before he started earning good money himself.
At the same time, he gets annoyed when I don’t make an effort to see him whenever I’m in the city. Sometimes he finds out through social media that I’m there and messages me asking why I didn’t visit him. If I don’t message him on WhatsApp for a few days, he also asks why I haven’t been chatting with him and whether something is wrong. I have a wife, a kid, work and my own responsibilities, so I can’t always be available. From what I can see, he doesn’t seem to have many friends of his own to hang out with, apart from a couple of friends and people he knows through his wife, who is very sociable and has her own circle. I sometimes wonder if he’s lonely or insecure, but I don’t know for sure.
Has anyone experienced this with a long-time friend?
I find it strange that he expects me to make an effort to see him but also puts me down for where I choose to live. I’m happy with my decision, so I don’t understand why he feels the need to make these comments.