My neighbor, Karen, had a habit of asking me to drive her daughter, Emily, to school. At first, I didn’t mind helping out occasionally, but it quickly became a daily expectation. Every morning, I’d get a text: “Can you take Emily today? I’m running late.” It started to feel like she was taking advantage of my kindness, and I knew I had to do something about it.
One morning, when Karen texted me again, I decided to teach her a lesson. I replied, “Sure, Karen. No problem!” But instead of driving straight to school, I took a detour. Emily and my daughter, Sophie, and I stopped at a coffee shop for pastries and hot chocolate. We spent a relaxing half-hour enjoying breakfast together. I wanted to show Karen that my time was valuable and that I wasn’t her personal chauffeur.
By the time we left the coffee shop, we were running late. I dropped Emily off just as the school bell was ringing, watching her rush inside. Later that day, Karen texted me, clearly annoyed. “Why was Emily almost late?” she asked. I replied casually, “Oh, we made a quick stop for breakfast. Since I was doing you a favor, I thought I’d treat the girls.”
Karen’s response was sharp: “Emily almost missed her first class! Next time, please just go straight to the school.” I replied, “Of course, Karen! And just so you know, next time I’ll need you to help with gas or trade favors. Seems fair, right?”
She didn’t reply, but the message was clear. After that, the daily requests stopped, and Karen learned that relying on someone’s kindness requires mutual respect. From then on, I enjoyed quieter mornings with just my daughter, no longer the neighborhood chauffeur.
