That's an interesting post. Do you mind giving us the exact details of what the person said and then requested? I'm just curious.
Kind of a long story...
This guy (let's call him "Bill") who is an old friend of an old friend called out of the blue just about a week after my mom died in 2022.
I thought he was calling to offer condolences, but he had no idea of my mom's passing. He was instead calling to ask if I'd come give his father daily insulin treatments! I told him that after the trauma I'd just been through with my mom, I really didn't want to get involved in becoming a home health aid.
Plus, I had worked for his father years ago doing yardwork, but at one point his dad put a gas & oil mix (intended for a weed whacker) in his lawn mower and then blamed me for breaking the lawn mower. I was subsequently "let go" from that gig. His dad also had a drinking problem.
Bill recently contacted me again, asking if I'd drive him to a medical test - I agreed and he paid me. Afterward we went out to lunch. Since our mutual friend had kind of stopped speaking to both of us (apparently), Bill suggested things like we get together for weekly dinners. He also asked if I'd want to resume doing jobs for his dad again. I explained that after being falsely accused by his dad, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to put myself in that position again (because, who knows what might happen next?)
The lunch was like an interrogation with him asking many questions, then presenting arguments as to why most of my answers would spell some kind of disaster for me in the future. Ultimately he made a lot of suggestions about getting jobs for me, us getting together on a regular basis (to dis our former mutual friend & just to engage in activities).
Since these were all his suggestions, I left the ball in his court (he has a history of ruminating all sorts of plans or asking me if I'd be interested in doing jobs for him, and then I never hear from him again - he once even arranged to have me take care of his cat while he went on a trip just days before leaving - then I never heard from him about it again).
After the lunch (over a month ago) I never heard from him - until today...
He shows up at my door and the first thing he says is "
You don't answer your phone?" (This is projection because our mutual friends always said this guy was notorious for never answering his phone). I told him my cell phone (which is my business phone) was upstairs since it was Sunday.
First he hands me a job application - he works for the IRS! (Personally, I have no intention of ever commuting to Trenton everyday nor working for the IRS under the current administration).
So I thanked him for the thought, then he announces that his dad's wife is going on a trip for two weeks and I'd just need to stop in to check on his dad everyday for the next 2 weeks. (And that the wife is leaving tomorrow!)
He didn't even put this in the form of a request, but rather as something I'd be doing and that he'd pay me for to "help me out" while I "helped him out."
The job application was like a Trojan Horse - a "gift" to make saying no harder.
I was caught off guard and tacitly agreed. Later I thought about it (and the fact that I'd explained how his dad had already burned his bridge with me). So I called his phone (which HE did not answer) and left a message saying that, after I checked my schedule, I wouldn't be able to commit to driving out and sitting with his dad EVERY DAY for TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS!
It's obvious "Bill" really wants nothing to do with me... until he needs something that could save him the cost of hiring professional help.
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