I think when you meet a new person they should come with a warning label. 

Caution:  The contents of this person may cause long term disturbance to your self-esteem.  This person may only want to be your friend because they sense that you are somehow a push over.  She will only call you when she needs money or to make herself feel better about the shitty decisions she makes in her own life.  She will expect you not to judge her and somehow encourage her in her wicked ways.  Although, when you do try to help her, she will proceed to shut you out and make you feel like telling her the truth was the dumbest thing you could have done.  She will then pass you over for every major decision in her life and tell you why you were passed over to make you feel somehow guilty about being honest.

Maybe this warning label is too exact.  Maybe this is just the warning label that my other “close” friend should have come with, because had I seen it on her I think I would have run for the hills screaming about the end of the world. 

I knew something was up when she called yesterday morning at 8:30 am.  I knew it and because of caller ID, I chose to screen.  When someone calls you at 8:30 in the morning and on your house phone, they want money.  I know she needed money because she didn’t leave a message and she didn’t call my cell phone.  That means she was circling the area in hopes that I was home and that she could stop and pick up the money.  I know her, she would tell you that I don’t know her, but I do know her and I know her too well. 

I find it funny that she wants to borrow money from me because she knows I’m not working.  I do side jobs and I make just enough money to go to the grocery store and do little odds and ends for myself.  My husband is a good man who works to pay the bills.  And she knows that he just started a new job.  She must be under the mistaken impression that they paid him the day that he showed up to fill out the paperwork.

I want to be a good friend and do what I can to help her.  But, I don’t know where the friendship should end and debt collector should start.  This woman has borrowed money from me in the past, and I never minded.  But now it just feels like she only calls me because she needs something.  I have watched her daughter for free, after she said that she would pay me.  And I’m not mad or bitter that she didn’t pay me, but she acted like I somehow owed her 10 hours of my life to watch her kid.  She’s a single mom, but she has a live in boyfriend.  When I asked her where the boyfriend would be, she said that he was going out skateboarding with some friends, while she worked a 10 hour shift as a waitress.  When I tried to politely ask why the boyfriend wasn’t working, she said that she didn’t want him to due to some health problems.  When I tried to ask what the health problems were, she avoided the issue.  Whatever they are, all I know is that he is healthy enough to go skateboarding while she worked three to four part time jobs. 

I know better than to question about her choices in men too much because of the last time I told her I didn’t like a boyfriend of hers.  She didn’t believe that he cornered me in their new apartment while they were moving and felt it was his right as my best friends fiancee to feel me up.  After that little confession, I was cut out of her life for 3 years because apparently I made the whole thing up, according to him.  When we ran into each other all those years later she told me how she caught him making out with the person she had chosen to take my place.  I guess the new friend didn’t have the morals that I had because she (the new friend) didn’t stop him.  That happened 4 weeks after she cut me out of her life. 

Anyway, she called me again early this morning.  I get the feeling that I’m going to get another early morning phone call tomorrow too.  If she was calling my cell I would think that she needs someone to talk to.  Which is ok, I’m a good listener.  Granted the last time she called me when she was in a bad mood, it rubbed off on me. 

Am I a bad person for avoiding her?  Should I be calling her back to make sure everything is ok?  Thoughts and suggestions anybody?