Gifts are meant to be freely given, but feelings don’t always come wrapped in a neat little bow.

So after growing distant from a longtime friend, one woman found herself thinking about the guitar she had once gifted her — a sentimental keepsake from her parents that now lived elsewhere.

She began to question whether wanting the guitar back was understandable or just unfair.

Read on for the full story!

WIBTA if I ask for a former friend to give back a guitar I gave her?

Two years ago, I (30F) gifted a close friend (30F, I’ll call her V) a guitar that I no longer needed because I upgraded to a new one.

Background — V and I have known each other since age 15 in 2011, but in the last year, we drifted apart and now haven’t spoken in months.

She thinks she knows what may have caused this fallout.

I attribute this to a mutual friend whom I felt was being a bit of a bridezilla. I reduced my participation in the wedding party, but V went along with it.

I’m no longer close with either of them and am ambivalent about how things turned out, although I can see from their perspective that they likely felt I was unsupportive.

There were no fights or outbursts — I just grew distant from them.

But lately, she finds herself thinking a lot about this long-lost guitar.

Back to the guitar — the main reason I want it back is because it was my 18th birthday present from my parents.

I gave it to V because we were close friends for about a decade, and I was happy to give a close friend an item I considered sentimental.

While the guitar honestly doesn’t cross my mind often, when it does, I do wonder about the fate of it.

She doubts V really appreciates this guitar as much as she would, so she wonders about whether she could ask for it back.

As far as I know, V didn’t particularly use it, although she does play the guitar casually, and it’s the only one she has.

It wasn’t in the best condition when I gave it to her since it was already almost 10 years old then.

The specific model can be bought secondhand in good condition for about USD 60, but I want my original one back.

WIBTA if I ask V for the guitar back?

Friendships fade, but committments hold strong.

What did Reddit think?

This user points out that it’s tacky to ask for a gift back.

This user agrees that asking for the guitar back isn’t a good look.

Perhaps she could offer to buy it back instead.

This redditor doesn’t approve at all.

Their friendship may have fizzled, but a gift is a gift.

Once you pass it on, you’ve gotta let it go.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.