Woman Promises Her Sick Friend A Place To Recover, But Forgot She Also Told Her Mom Could Stay There

Sometimes a miscommunication can be best-solved by…ya know…communication.

Sometimes though, that doesn’t happen.

And we get to hear about it on Reddit.

Hip hip hooray for us.

This is a story about well-intentioned compassion, but poor planning.

I (30f) started college last year. During my second semester, I met Phoebe (19). We were taking 2 classes together and we clicked immediately. We have a lot of the same interests and she’s just such a kind and smart girl.

Phoebe was diagnosed with cancer over the summer. She spent a few months in the hospital and now goes for outpatient chemo every couple weeks.

On Thursday Phoebe called me and said her grandpa was supposed to drive her to chemo but he never showed up and asked if I could take her.

OP makes a snap decision to bring the new, sleeping friend back to her place so she can get some much-needed rest after a chemotherapy battle.

Seems like an incredibly nice, selfless gesture.

After her chemo she fell asleep in the car. I decided to bring her to my apartment to let her rest because she is one of 6 kids at home and her house is loud, not a good place for recovering from chemo.

When we got to my apartment I woke her up, brought her to the couch, and brought her some blankets. She was very appreciative of me letting her stay at my apartment.

Only problem was, that couch was spoken for.

And her mom was a bit perplexed, if not annoyed.

The thing is, my mom is staying with us and she was supposed to be sleeping on the couch. It totally slipped my mind when I brought Phoebe home.

My mom got back and asked why Phoebe was here when she saw her sleeping on the couch. I explained the situation and she said it was rude of me to give up the couch without asking her.

The husband puts a bandage on the situational wound, at least providing a place to sleep for OP’s mom.

But she still doesn’t feel right about it, and neither does her mom.

I called my husband, explained the situation, and he picked up an air mattress and extra blankets for my mom but she’s still mad that I gave away the couch for the night (I took Phoebe home Friday afternoon). My husband says he gets why I did it but he gets why she is upset.

AITA for giving my friend the couch when my mom was staying with us?

OP explains a bit of back story about Phoebe’s family. And it makes it seem like a really tough situation and subsequent decision to have to make.

Phoebe’s family couldn’t care less that she’s sick.

They didn’t visit her in the hospital, they don’t take her to appointments unless they’re not working, they don’t have plans, and they feel like going, and they don’t make her siblings let her rest. She asked her mom if she was taking her to get a procedure done and her mom told her they can’t put their lives on hold just because she’s sick again.

This part wasn’t in the comment but she shares a room with her 13 year old sister and her sister constantly has friends over and they hang out in her room. Phoebe has come over so she could take a nap on the couch before because she can’t rest at home.

Folks were pretty rough on this one, and a rare YTA tag was earned.

One commenter stated the obvious – the couch was already promised to her mother.

Another Redditor easily sees how the mother would be frustrated.

While another person had a great point about being the one taking the couch.

All-in-all, seems like some good ol fashioned communication was in store.