Man paints curse word on the wall of friend's new house. AITA?
When this man helps paint his friend's house and plays a prank that upsets his friend's wife, he asks Reddit:
"AITA for painting a curse word on the wall of my friend's new house?"
My friend and his wife just bought their first home. It is a fixer upper and I have been helping them out with the fixing. My father was a handyman and contractor so I have a lot of skills and experience with doing maintenance, repairs, and upgrades on a house. I also have pretty much all the tools I need to do most of the work.
This last weekend I was helping paint the dining room. I had everything set up the way I wanted and I was ready to go. For some reason his wife decides to let their dogs into the room I'm painting.
One of them steps in the roller tray and then jumps up on me. His wife laughed it off like it was not a big deal that I had paw prints on me. I also had to throw out that primer because it now had mud in it. I had told them both to let me do the work in peace.
After I prepared a new tray of paint I wrote the word "F%%%" in huge letters on the wall. IN PRIMER.For those of you who may not know primer is the coat of paint that you put down before the actual paint. For lack of a better word it sticks to the wall better and when it dries it creates a better surface for the paint to stick to.
His wife saw it and freaked. She said I was drawing profanity in her house. I told her it was primer and to stay out of my way.
I then finished the job and went home. My friend called me and said that I had really upset his wife with my childishness and that she would not let me back until I apologized. I asked him what I was apologizing for.
He said that I wrote a curse word on his wall. I asked him to provide a picture. He said he couldn't since I had painted over it. I asked what the problem was since the word wasn't there any more.
He said that I needed to apologize. I said that him wanting me to apologize was in no way the same as me needing to apologize. He said that I could not come back until I did. No problem for me. I was helping him for free on my weeks off from work.
He called me two days later and asked if I was coming to finish painting since I would be away at work for three weeks. I said I wasn't ready to apologize yet and maybe I would when I got back. I probably won't.
Now she is telling everyone that I'm a bad person for leaving a job half finished. I tell everyone who asks that I was working for free and that they told me not to come back.
Now there is a big fight in our friend group between the people who think I should keep the peace and those who think she is being an entitled whiner. No one else is volunteering to help at their house and now either they have to half ass the job or pay someone. I'm getting hell for that too. AITA?
Let's see what readers thought.
boredathome writes:
NTA... a bit. Frustrated because of her stupid dog you wrote it on the wall. Then painted over. But she's got her knickers in a twist. I sort of get it, from her, but she should get a grip, work is being done for free, there's no harm done, nothing to see. Get over it. And keep your stupid dogs out. Has she apologised for that?
Just go LC for a bit. They can paint their own flipping walls, or pay someone. Guess what, contractors sometimes swear... Telling you "You can't come back and work your weekends for free" well gosh, can't I. Guess I'll have to watch tv then.
peachstate1 writes:
I'm going to go with ESH. Dogs sometimes get into things, accidents happens. But she shouldn't have been so blase about her response, especially when you're doing them a favor. She should have apologized and then asked what she could do to help.
Your reaction was pretty juvenile and passive aggressive. I get that it gets painted over, but you're inconvenienced and write a curse word in big letters on the wall? Just a weirdly over the top reaction. It did nothing to address the situation, and just made it clear you were stewing.
Her husband should have had a convo with you about what happened, why it bothered you, and why your response bothered her. Not demand an apology.
voldemorthugs writes:
NTA. Sounds like a frustrating situation. You were giving free labor. For a friend. There should be a certain amount of goofing around leeway. Also a certain amount of gratitude for said free work.
Along with extra willingness to make your job easier. Like not letting the dogs in the room you’re painting in. It’s your time. You get to use it how you want. There is no part of your story that sounded fun or benefited you at all. Congrats you got your weekends back. Enjoy.