The most important thing is to take care of the availability of the car itself, because this is the thing without which the trip will not be possible, per se. But a close friend of the author of our story today, who was going ona tripseriously expected that their friend would lend them a car. And they were incredibly offended after facing a flat-out refusal.
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The author of the post has a longtime friend who recently asked permission to borrow their car for a cross-country road trip
Image credits:Tobi (not the actual photo)
The car-owner, however, wasn’t happy with this idea, as they felt anxiety over having it somewhere many miles away
Image credits:[deleted]
Image credits:Leah Newhouse (not the actual photo)
So the author refused to lend the car and tried to explain their own feelings to the friend – but to no avail
The friend claimed that the author was petty and selfish, literally ruining their dream
So, the Original Poster (OP) has an old andbosom friendwho recently approached them and said that they had planned a long cross-country road trip, and that to successfully implement the plan, they needed a car. And since the traveler didn’t have their own vehicle, they expected that the author would lend them theirs.
It’s not that the OP was a greedy person – they just put a lot of effort, energy and money into this car and maintaining it. And in principle, the very idea that someone woulddrive itthousands of miles from the owner didn’t inspire them at all.
In general, as you probably guessed, the original poster rejected this plea, for which they received a whole bucket of criticism from a friend. During the convo, the author learned a lot of new things about themselves – in particular, that they are so selfish, and in general a bad person, ready to ruin someone else’s dream because of their own pettiness.
So the OP feels at a crossroads (much like at the end of theFurious 7movie, where the paths of Dom Toretto and Brian O’Conner finally diverge). On the one hand, the author understands perfectly well that their car is their private property. On the other hand, they realize that a final refusal can seriously undermine many years of this friendship.
Image credits:RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
Well, even if we ignore emotions, any cross-country road trip is a hellof a lot. That’s more than one and a half thousand miles, almost as the crow flies, if you count from coast to coast, or more than a thousand from Mexico to Canada.
By the way, if you calculate the likely costs of renting a car, then the reasons for this friend’s persistence become way more clear. “Renting a car and driving across the United Statescan costaround $1,615, including rental fees, gas costs, and other factors,” thededicated articleon The Travel claims. “Renting a car for a road trip involves insurance, deposits, and limitations on roads and mileage.”
Most commenters, however, said that the author was 100% right in not giving the vehicle, and urged them not to succumb to any coaxing
Image credits:Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
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