Borrowing Trouble
I borrowed a sweater from a friend to wear to a party. When I gave it back, there was a stain. It must have been there before, but my friend insists that it wasn’t. Now what?
Answer:
The key to this misunderstanding might lie in your answer to this question: Why would you borrow a stained sweater? Don’t people borrow clothes that are nicer than their own? Now, I’m not suggesting you’re responsible for the stain—you wore the sweater for one night, and surely you would have noticed dropping a blueberry pie on your chest. Rather, try this bit of logic on her: If you didn’t notice the stain when you borrowed it, isn’t it possible that she was equally unaware and had actually lent you damaged goods?
She might say this is an elaborate ruse to get out of paying for the cleaning. You can avoid that scene in the future by following some rules:
(1) Inspect the item before you put it on.
(2) Even if you wear it only once, have it cleaned before you return it (think of the cost as a rental fee).
(3) If you do stain something, apologize profusely. A good pal will accept the apology and the cleaned sweater. A hysterical, irrational friend will make you replace it. If you must do that (I hope it wasn’t cashmere), replace the friend, too.
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