Entitled People·
THE VANISHING PAN
A couple returns from a 17-day trip to find their kitchen emptied by a guest who overstayed, sparking a debate over boundaries and a damaged pan.
Cut him off or give him another chance?
Be one of the first to vote.
The dog was fine. The kitchen was stripped bare.
When the couple came home from a 17-day trip abroad, they opened the fridge, checked the freezer, looked through the pantry, and found almost nothing left. Jam, peanut butter, olive oil, condiments, rice, snacks, cheese, even the husband's supplements were gone. The poster summed it up in one line: "EVERYTHING was gone."
The person who had lived there while they were away was not a tenant or a paid house-sitter. He was a mutual acquaintance, called "K," who had first shown up asking for help after claiming he'd been scammed on an apartment rental and had nowhere to stay.
At first, the arrangement was supposed to be simple: a weekend. But K seemed polite, helpful around the house, and grateful enough that the poster and their husband let him stay for the full 20 days he asked for. During that stretch, though, the grocery situation got awkward fast. He did not buy groceries. He often said he would pay later, then "forgot his wallet" or said he could only use Apple Pay. He ate more than his share while the couple kept trying to stay friendly.
A few months later, they gave him another chance. This time, they were leaving for 17 days and needed someone to look after their dog. K was offered the place in exchange for pet care, and the poster wrote him a Google Doc with house rules and dog instructions. They even told him he could eat anything close to expiring.
That turned out to be a very generous line.
When they got back, the kitchen was basically empty. The fridge, freezer, and pantry had all been cleaned out. The missing list was absurdly specific: jam, peanut butter, olive oil, condiments, rice, snacks, cheese, and the husband's supplements. On top of that, a ceramic pan had been damaged. The poster suspected some other items may have disappeared too, but that part wasn't confirmed.
The poster reached out with one request: replace the pan. K's reply landed as the final blow. He mocked them, saying, "it's just a pan, why are you making it a big deal?"
Since then, K has kept texting and pushing to hang out again. The poster wants nothing to do with him and says, "I don't want him in our home ever again." The husband thinks that's too harsh and is still open to staying friends.
The question left hanging is blunt: "AITA for not wanting to see this guy ever again and refusing to let him come back to our house?"