So recently I was dismissed from my job. In an attempt to "lift my spirits" a friend of mine asked me out for Onsen. She said that there is a new Onsen shop opened and it has a promotion going on, a 60% off for 2 persons. Since I had nothing to do I agreed to go, and after confirmation she booked a timeslot on a weekday to avoid crowds.
However when that day comes, I had an interview going on. It was a last minute notice, I got a call in the morning and they asked me to go in the afternoon. Not wanting to miss the chance, I took it and informed my friend I was not going.
She was upset with me, because she took an annual leave that day just for the onsen. She also paid for the timeslot already. I apologised to her, telling her I am really sorry, but I hope she understands that I need a job right now and an interview is my top priority. I also told her I will pay half for my share.
She said if that’s the case I should pay her the full sum for the booking, as she could not go without a partner because she booked for 2 persons. I asked her to find someone to go with her then, she said it’s a weekday and nobody else could go with her on such a short notice. She also said she would not go even if she could change it from 2 to 1, as she had to top up more money for that and it was not worth.
She blamed me for going back on my word and said I should take full responsibility for that. She even said she could have gone other cheaper onsen by herself, as the new onsen shop was quite expensive on its full price. The booking was non refundable nor exchangable.
This is where I also become upset. She knew I lost my job and have to live off a tight budget. I WANTED to go, but really I need a job right now and could not afford to miss an interview. It was her choice if she choose not to go, I can pay for my half of the booking, but not the whole bill.
As a result I have not been paying her anything til date. She asked again once and then went silent since. I feel bad for her, really sorry I had stood her up, but I was hoping that she would have understood me too. Am I really in the bad here? I just feel that it’s unfair for me to pay for the full bill if I haven’t go there, and it was entirely her choice when she didn’t too.