Has this ever happened to you? You’re traveling or out and about… having a great time… and boom! A toxic person shows up.
Maybe I have a very low tolerance for these types. It’s easy to just walk away, right?
But when you’re in the company of others that you do like, it becomes more complicated. Now what?!
Traveling to visit a friend
A while ago, I took a short trip to visit a friend. Although he lived in-state, it’d still take time for me to travel there.
We planned to go to the mall and hang out… catch up on stuff.
After sitting in traffic forever, I finally reached my destination.
On our way to the mall, I planned not to buy anything. Or would I? My relationship with minimalism seems to waiver like a flag in the wind.
So, I window-shopped while he shoe-shopped for his girlfriend, who lived 2,000 away. She wanted fire-engine red high-top sneakers, and it was his task to find them.
Afterward, we decided to grab lunch at a Mexican restaurant near the mall. The smell of tacos filled the air as we walked toward the place.
The open invitation
Then, my friend got a phone call from his roommate, Jarvis. I didn’t know this guy.
“What are you all doing right now?” Jarvis asked on speakerphone.
“Me and my friend are about to eat lunch,” my friend said.
“Where?” Jarvis asked.
“Ummm… the Mexican restaurant near the shopping center.”
“I’ll be right there!”
“Ummm… wait… ummm…”
Jarvis hung up and my friend looked like the end of the world was upon us.
“Yeah, I guess my roommate is coming,” he said.
Something is wrong—very wrong
He turned a shade of green and wiped the smile off his face.
What was that all about?
We looked around one more store for fire engine red high-top sneakers. Either the stores didn’t carry enough of them, or his girlfriend was way too finicky.
Then we entered the restaurant.
A man sitting at the bar, with his cowboy boots dangling off the bar stool, waved us over. My friend dropped his head.
With his golfball-sized eyes, Jarvis looked up at me. He offered his hand to shake while sipping his liquor.
Something felt off about this—I couldn’t explain why.
The waitress asked if we wanted to sit at the bar or in the dining area. Jarvis wanted the bar, but my friend and I chose the dining area.
So he jumped off the bar stool and led us to our seats.
The toxic spew comes out
As soon as we sat down, Jarvis started raving about his day. Thousands of dollars of sales poured into his accounts.
Clients kept calling him all day… and he was so busy—he barely had time to meet us for lunch.
It was only the afternoon.
He downed drinks left and right while bragging about his amazing self. His co-workers praised him daily and bowed down to him.
He dragged his ex-girlfriend through the mud, smearing her name. He dumped her—‘that weak, sorry animal lover’—and he could do much better.
I looked at my friend…
Was he also wondering who in the world would ever date this guy?
Dark, heavy clouds hung over the restaurant as more toxic sewage spilled from Jarvis’s mouth.
The waitress brought more drinks and handed us the menus. I flipped through the menu, wondering what might taste good right about now.
Absolutely nothing.
Somehow, I had lost my appetite.
“Am I boring you?” Jarvis asked.
His eyes glared at me as if I had just committed a mortal sin. I dropped my jaw and turned to my friend, but he looked away.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m talking, and you have decided to read the menu,” Jarvis said.
Then I looked at my friend again and he gave me that look—that look that said, ‘Just don’t—please don’t.’
“Am I missing something here?” I asked Jarvis.
“It’s very rude that I’m trying to talk here, and you are looking at the menu. Am I boring you or something?” Jarvis asked.
“Keep on talking then… I’m not stopping you while I look at the menu,” I said, furrowing my brow at my friend.
He did a quick eye roll when Jarvis looked away for a second.
Then Jarvis burst out with the creepy laugh—you know that laugh? The psycho laugh…
Yes, the one you hear in horror movies.
Too much of the toxic person
It all made sense why my friend didn’t want me to meet Jarvis. The guy hogged down drinks and bragged about himself non-stop.
And when the food came, he continued with a mouthful of food.
Ugh… Enough was enough…
I texted my friend that I would leave, and he texted back under the table to please, please stay.
So I picked at my taco with my fork, scooping up beans and watching them drop on the plate one by one.
Jarvis continued to roast his ex-girlfriends and paint himself as a saint. He called himself a ‘great catch for all women.’
I almost fell over in my chair.
Time to go far away
“Can I have the bill?” I asked the nearest waitress walking by.
She wasn’t our waitress, but I didn’t care.
“Can I have a box to go?” I added.
Jarvis locked eyes with my friend, begging him to stay with his long face and pouty lips.
Finally, my friend sided with me, so we paid and left the restaurant.
Outside, I asked my friend what that was all about. He admitted Jarvis was a toxic woman-hater.
Well, you don’t say…
He also said he needed a place to stay and that Jarvis gave him a cheap room. So, he had no choice but to put up with this guy for now.
I couldn’t do it—my peace was more important.
It was pure torture listening to Jarvis for 30 minutes, and I thought I’d smash a tomato—more like watermelon—in his mouth.
I’d rather work two jobs than live with a toxic person like that. Imagine listening to that day in and day out…
Ugh… No thank you!
So if this ever happens to you—you’re hanging out with a friend and their toxic roommate, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, father, sibling, or co-worker shows up…
Keep your cool, then exit stage right.
You can’t argue with a toxic person, so you’re better off walking away.
Updated: November 19, 2024
