I need advice. ASAP.
I am a person who doesn't know how to say NO, when someone is taking advantage of me.
I have a neighbor. She has 2 kids. She only calls me when her kids need me to help them with school work. I've known her for 8 months. She promised to pay for my help, but she paid me only for 3 out of 15 lessons. And she knows very well, I am alone here, I am looking for a job and that there were months when my husband wasn't able to come to me for the weekend because we had no money. It was super hard. She didn't give a damn. Well. to be fair, she did offer to lend me money, which I never would, but didn't pay me for the work I had already done. I don't get it.
She is not interested in me, when we talk and I talk about sth in my life, she looses attention after a minute or two.
As some of you might remember, my birthday was at the end of April.
We communicated on the same day by sms/ text messages. She wanted us to get together for an ice cream or coffee. I told her, I was short of time, because it was my birthday and my cat's birthday, and my husband was coming home from the other side of the country and I wanted to get things nice and ready. But, I still promised to find half an hour to see her.
I knew she was only interested in what had happened with me and a certain woman she knows ( I was looking for a job, but refused to take it, because a woman who works there started bullying me even before I had my second interview with her boss. And the bully is my neighbour's older son's private instructor). Now she was curious to get all the juicy details.
I found the time, but she cancelled or postponed it for another day. Sth came up for her, I guess.
But what hurts is, that she didn't say happy birthday to me. Not on the day,not after,... Not by a text message, not by a phone call, not in person,... It's been 2 weeks. Nothing.
She had birthday only 2 months after we met. I was struggling to get by. After paying the rent and expenses, I hardly had money for food for my 3 cats and me. There were days I was hungry more or less. But I went and sold sth of mine and bought her a birthday present and expressed my best wishes to her.
Half a year later, I didn't even get a text message for my birthday. NOCD members wished me well, she didn't.
Today, just now, she called. She sent me a message she needed me. Her younger son needs help for school and her older son broke or twisted his leg and she needs someone to talk to.
OK friends. I've been told, that part of the reason I have developed my ocd is my low self esteem, lack of confidence. That's why people walk all over me. I am there for everyone, noone for me. That's why, people who hurt me, become the focus of my ocd obsessions. One at the time.
What do I do now? Do I run to her? Do I offer my shoulder to cry on? This is what my soul, my heart, my empathy tells me to do. But then there is the other side ( call it my ego or just the need for self-respect) which tells me, don't be the idiot she thinks you are.
I know she's manipulating me, but since I have never had any support in my life from Noone, I don't have the heart to refuse support to anyone.
Please, what would you do? She's waiting for me to call her.
I would appreciate your input.
I hope someone answers.
Peace of mind and soul. Have a beautiful day.