Teen asks if she was wrong to leave trip after friend's rich family made her work.
Bringing a friend on a family vacation can be fun. You're always guaranteed to have someone you like to hang with. Unless you go on vacation with a friend you don't know super well. That can get a little awkward. Imagine that your friend's parents expected you to cater to them the entire time cause they bought you the ticket?
Funny enough the internet has that same story for us. On a popular Reddit thread in the Am I the A**hole Subreddit, a college student asks if she was wrong to leave a free vacation and get her own room after her rich friend's family treats her like a maid.
AITA? I went on vacation with my friend and her family, and they kicked me out. I got my own room and stayed.
The third pick in the friendship draft isn't bad.
I am in college, and my roommate from last year, Meg, whose family is wealthy, said she could bring a friend on vacation. It was somewhat awkward, I was her third choice, but her family vetoed the first two because they didn't want her to bring a boy or this other female friend they disliked.
Okay, it's giving White Lotus vibes.
Her parents bought my plane ticket and booked the resort, which I was very grateful for, and I saved a lot of money up so I could make sure I buy my food and activities when I'm there and treat her family to dinner as a thank you for the ticket.
I'd still want to be the third pick.
But when the trip started, it wasn't good. Going on the trip was Meg, me, her mother, her father, two of her father's friends, and her three brothers. On the flight, they all got first class and got me an economy seat. But I didn't say anything because why argue about a free ticket? The first night they went to a grocery, it turns out they wanted to cook at the resort kitchen for the whole trip.
Yikes. Definitely, not worth the third pick.
And by 'they wanted to cook,' it turned out that they wanted me and Meg to cook. Meg never mentioned this to me, but it turns out Meg's family is 'traditional,' as they see cooking as a women's job. And her mom had just had hand surgery.
This is like a Top Chef type challenge.
So Meg and I were cooking every meal for six men and her mom, and I can't cook well. I know a couple of staple meals to feed myself, but since I rarely eat meat, I don't know how to cook it. I'm also used to cooking for 1 or 2 but have no practice cooking for a group of 9 adults.
OKAY, OP, GO OFF!
I screwed it up, undercooked chicken, and overcooked some steak and her dad was angry with me. I got short with him and told him that if he knew how to do better, he could pitch in instead of standing around criticizing. But he got furious and said he was on his vacation. I said I was also trying to have a vacation, or did they invite me to be an unpaid domestic servant?
Somebody put OP in front of the Supreme Court to tell those folks off.
Meg's parents and dad's friends got angry. I said that, and they started yelling at me. The argument escalated, and I sarcastically called myself 'the help.' His dad snapped at me and told me to get out of their suite and go home. Didn't say sh*t about how he expected me to do that.
TWO STEPS AHEAD.
I left and called the airline with my ticket and asked them if they could do anything to prevent anyone else from modifying or canceling my ticket. They let me set a passcode so no changes could be made to the flight without it.
We love a weekday discount.
Then I went to the resort desk to ask about rooms, saying I was stranded unexpectedly. They did have some affordable rooms available because of a weekday discount. So I got housing and still had money left over for touristy stuff.
I think this is checkmate.
I went sightseeing and relaxed on the beach for three days until Meg's parents ran into me. They took a sunset walk and did a double-take seeing me on the beach. They said they thought I was going home, and I said I decided to stay. They were angry because they saw me visiting and using the return flight as having deceived them into thinking I couldn't afford a vacation and using them for flights when I could afford things.
It's going to be a no for me, dawg, but let's see what the internet says.
AITA for staying on that vacation and using the flight home?
Saebelzahntiger has notes for the parents.
NTA (Not the A**hole) - this is no way to treat the friend of your child? Also, it is no way to treat your child wtf, your poor friend.
Murky_Translator2295 reminds us that we forgot about Meg, who is still cooking in that kitchen.
I feel terrible for poor Meg. She's still left cooking for all those people, but now she has to do it alone. She should have warned OP that they'd be put in this position, though.
NTA
lonnielee3 reminds us that money can't buy class.
NTA. Too bad Meg didn’t leave with you and let pops and brothers do the cooking. Poor Meg’s family may have money, but they have no class.