WWYD: The Super Generous, Super Platonic Friend

In this installment of “What Would You Do?,” a gift from a generous friend. Here’s Alissa:

For my birthday last year, a guy friend gave me a gift card for a spa. Reasons he gave me a gift may have included: My grandfather had just passed away. My boyfriend and I had just broken up. I host a lot of parties. It was my birthday. (Ulterior motives go here, I don’t know, he is still with the same girl he was dating at the time.)

I didn’t use it for a year because I am a procrastinator. When I finally called the place to use it, the lady gave me the balance: Four. Hundred. Dollars.

!!!???!!!???!!!???

I have never given or received a present that large in my life (and this dude was a student at the time so I’m really not sure how he could afford that). What the hell do you do with that?! I had already acknowledged the card, not knowing its total value, and got him a lavish (for me gifting my friends, i.e. $60) restaurant gift card.

I used some of it and used the rest to treat my mother and grandmother. Still shaking my head at that one. — Alissa

Holy cow, no friend of mine has ever given me that much amount of money as a gift, either! The easy answer to this is to simply ask the guy why in the world he’d give you such a generous amount on a gift card. I’d call him up and say, “Hey! Remember that gift card you gave me? Did you know that there was $400 on it?!”

He may have a good explanation for that: Perhaps some wealthy person he knows gave it to him and he doesn’t go to spas, so he decided to pass it on to a friend who would appreciate it. Perhaps he won the gift card at work. Or perhaps you just have a very generous friend. Hold on to him — he sounds like a good one.

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