Dealing with the unhealthy patterns of members of the family can be a real struggle. As much as we don’t want to hurt their feelings and create an awkward environment, we still need to find a way to help them and put a stop to their behavior that is often damaging.
A Redditor that goes by the name Sea_Temporary_7637 visited the AITA subReddit to discuss a recent situation involving his girlfriend’s mother.
Namely, his girlfriend Kelly has two mothers, Gina, 64, and Stacy, 71. While Gina covers of all their expenses, Stacy mainly spends her money on tiny errands and keeps the rest.
One day, Stacy asked from OP to take her to the store so that she could grab a few things. Once they took everything she needed and headed towards the counter, Stacy told him that she had forgotten her wallet at home and asked him if he could cover the bill for her and that she would repay him later.
OP, of course, agreed because he didn’t think it was a big of a deal. Stacy was an elderly lady, and elderly people tend to forget things.
That same day, when OP and his girlfriend had a talk about how they days had gone and OP mentioned running errands with her mom, Kelly immediately asked him if Stacey wanted him to lend her money. He got confused and answered that she did. That’s when Kelly explained her mom had the habit of making people pay for her stuff without considering giving them their money back.
“She claims she ‘forgot’ her wallet, asks you to pay, promises to pay you back, but almost never follows through,” Kelly said.
OP knew Stacey lied at times and he was aware that made Kelly mad, but he didn’t know she would also try to trick him.
“I also don’t like to be lied to and had not experienced Stacy lying to me yet. It’s also not even about money for Stacy, as she has quite a bit to her name, no debt, and Gina pays most of the bills.”
OP promised he wouldn’t let Stacy play games with him ever again, so the next time she asked from him to take her to the pharmacy, he repeatedly asked her if she took everything she needed, putting emphasis on her keys, jacket, and wallet. She said she had and the two headed to the pharmacy.
However, just as she needed to pay, she turned to OP and said she had again forgotten her wallet. That’s when OP confronted her.
OP: “I thought you said you had everything you needed before we left.”
Stacy: “I did, I guess I was wrong.”
OP: “You said you checked.” Stacy: “I did.”
OP: “So did you lie to me about having your wallet, or did you lie to me about checking for it?”
Stacy: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
OP: “Do you really not have it with you, or are you lying about that too?” Stacy: “Why are you having an attitude with me?”
OP: “Why did you lie to me?”
Stacy: “It’s not a big deal. If you don’t want to help me, then I’m going home.”
OP: “I don’t have an attitude, I’m just not going to deal with you lying to me. Lying has consequences.”
On their way home, Stacy stayed silent. She didn’t say a single word.
However, although she was the one who lied to OP, Stacy was the one hurt by his words. Kelly told her boyfriend that her mom locked herself inside her room and refused to get out. This made OP wonder if he was in the wrong for confronting Stacy in the first place.
Needless to say, fellow Redditors said OP was NTA.
