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An open offer is supposed to mean exactly that, open. Somehow this one still managed to spark an argument at home.
One man was left in charge of watering a neighboring family’s plants while they vacationed for the rest of August. Before leaving, their daughter told him he was welcome to use their car, and left the keys behind as proof she meant it.
He took her up on it for a quick trip to the playground, planning to refill the gas afterward and having already confirmed with the mother that insurance wouldn’t be an issue.
His girlfriend saw it differently, accusing him of taking advantage of their neighbors’ kindness.
Read on for the ensuing argument and Reddit’s take on it.
AITAH for wanting to use our neighbours car
Our neighbours (mother, father, adult daughter) are on a holiday for the rest of August.
We were asked to water the plants in their garden.
This neighbor gave what felt like a very clear blessing to use the car.
Upon leaving, their daughter told me we could use their car during their holiday. She left the keys in their kitchen.
So when the homeowner actually took them up on the offer, his girlfriend’s response totally threw him off.
Today I wanted to take our daughter to a playground a bit further away with their car.
My girlfriend got mad and said I exploited their friendliness.
She insisted I rent a car like we usually do (we don’t own a car but use several services to easily rent a car).
He really doesn’t see what the big deal is all about.
I got mad as well because I really don’t understand.
A short ride, I fill up the gas afterwards, I see no problem.
Others don’t seem to see a problem either.
I also checked in with the mother if the insurance would be a problem if I drove. She insisted it wasn’t.
Am I the AH?
Talk about mixed signals!
What did Reddit have to say?
This commenter thinks he should be able to use the car without a problem.
A blessing is supposed to be a blessing. Nothing further to read into here.
Just because he’s technically in the right doesn’t mean he should give his neighbor an excuse to start drama.
If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about neighbors who intentionally tank an open house sale because they want to buy the property themselves.
This user agrees it’s a fair trade.
Redditors pointed out that exploiting someone’s friendliness usually involves pushing past a boundary they set, not accepting an offer they made without being asked. He even offered to refill the gas, which is more than a lot of other people would do.
Sometimes a yes just means yes.