KEY POINTS:
Here's a scenario: Kate is good friends with Angie. They work together and have been friends for about four years.
Angie used to go out with Matt. They broke up six years ago. Angie has since been in a long-term relationship with someone else.
Kate is currently single.
One day Angie
suggests Kate meet Matt. They have a lot in common and could be good together.
Kate is hesitant. She thinks it could be a bit weird. Angie is insistent.
So a date is set and Kate and Matt meet. Angie is right; they do have a lot in common and get on fantastically. They begin seeing each other and are completely smitten.
At this point Angie changes her mind. She announces she doesn't want Kate and Matt to see each other any more. She tells Kate, as she set them up, she has every right to veto the relationship.
Which leaves Kate in a bit of a pickle. She really likes Matt, but Angie is her friend. Plus they work together so any fallout is going to be super awkward.
End of scenario.
So, here are my thoughts:
a) Angie is a psycho. She clearly delights in making people dance to her own tune and fancies herself as a puppet master.
b) Just because Angie set the couple up, she has no right to interfere further down the track. I have played matchmaker to several friends in the past and would never dream of telling them what to do. It's just not how it works.
c) It's been six years since Angie went out with Matt. By her own admission, she is completely over him. So what's the issue? Aside from her being a caustic individual who can't stand to see other people happy. In which case, why would you want to be friends with her anyway?
So, I would like to know your thoughts (as no doubt, would Kate, who has been plagued by this issue for some time now).
I'm also interested to know if anyone else has faced a situation similar to this. It's definitely the first time it's come up amongst any of my friends and it strikes me as particularly unusual.
If Kate and Matt had met of their own accord, I could see why Angie might take issue. It's not unreasonable to ask your friends not to go out with your ex.
But to purposefully set them up and then demand they stop seeing each other is just . . . well, evil.
Beware the dark force of the puppet master.