DEAR ABBY: We bought our first home seven months ago. We love it, except for one major issue. Our neighbor, who's the same age as I am, is the biggest hypochondriac and laziest person I've ever seen.
She was training to be a police officer, but she had a headache every day, so she got let go last year. Ever since then we have been supporting her (food, Wi-Fi, OTC meds, feminine products). I finally cut her off for about a week until she Facebook-messaged me saying she was starving and hadn't eaten for two days, so I gave in. I gave her a job last week, and she didn't show up the first day.
What should I do? It's causing arguments between my husband and me. I hate to think she's hungry. -- TROUBLED IN THE SOUTH
As the title says, how does this happen? I just can't imagine saying yes to everything someone asks like this! I consider myself a fairly nice and accommodating person, but stuff like this?
"Can I get some dinner?" "No, sorry, we only have a few leftovers and we need them for lunch tomorrow." "But I'm really hungry." "Well, we'll be hungry if we don't keep our food. There's a store five minutes that way. See ya!"
"Hey, can I use your wi-fi?" "I'm afraid we barely have enough gigs for own usage." "Really, you can't share?" "As I said, we use it all. It'd be insanely slow if anyone else used it. We use x company and it was free to setup. Just the monthly charge, you should call them! Gotta run."
"Do you have an aspirin?" "Sure, here's one." *hands one over* "It's bad, can I have the bottle." "No, I'm afraid we need it. You can probably get to the store for more before this one wears off."
"Do you have any tampons I can use? I'm all out." (First, WEIRD! I've asked family members this and had family members ask me, but not neighbors. Second, if you're a woman, how do you run out of feminine hygiene products? I use a menstrual cup and I still have backup tampons and pads in my house.) "I can get you one." *Hands over one* "Do you have any more I can have?" "I need them for my own use, sorry." "But I really need more." "I just don't have any more to give you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go."