Pay Dirt is Slate’s money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Kristin and Ilyce here. (It’s anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt,

I have season tickets to a beloved baseball franchise. My wife, my best friend, and I saved up for them, knowing we’d be able to freely give some away to friends and family and sell the rest to recoup some of our costs.

My pal “Jack” is a big fan. We know each other through a club and see each other monthly at meetings. I was more than happy to throw Jack tickets to some games.

Well, I found out that of the eight games Jack had “attended,” he’d only actually gone to one.

He’d sold the tickets to the other seven games! Every time I have asked how he enjoyed the game, he’s gushed about how much fun he’s had. So, lying to my face! I never expressly told Jack that he couldn’t sell our tickets because it seemed…obvious? He clearly knows I wouldn’t be cool with it because he lied to me about it.

I’m pretty pissed. If I’d known he was going to sell them, I’d have given the tickets to somebody else—or sold them myself. The next club meeting is coming up, and I know he’ll ask if we have any games coming up. I simultaneously wanna confront him and be avoidant and just deny him more tickets without explanation.

—Baseball Blues

Dear Baseball Blues,

Wow, Jack has some nerve! You should absolutely confront him about this and give him the opportunity to make things right.

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I guess technically they were his tickets to do with what he wished—and that might be the argument he makes—but friendships aren’t built on technicalities, and he knew this was wrong. I’m not sure how you found out he lied, but I’d let him know you know what’s been going on (and how you found out) without explicitly calling him a liar. Give him a chance to come clean and, ideally, offer you some compensation for the tickets he sold.

On the other hand, Jack has already shown he’s comfortable lying repeatedly, so expecting him to suddenly become honest and offer to pay back money is probably overly optimistic. But the next time he asks for a ticket, you could tell him something along the lines of: “Hey, I found out you’ve been selling most of the tickets I’ve given you instead of going to the games. I give those tickets away because I want people to enjoy the experience, not to help them make money. I won’t be able to offer you any more.”

The bottom line is, you should distance yourself from Jack. This seems to be a pretty bright red flag that he isn’t someone you can be generous with, and it sounds like you enjoy being generous with your friends. He might be a fun guy to have a beer with at a game, but ultimately, I’d write this off as an expensive lesson about Jack’s character. You deserve a better pal.

—Kristin

More Money Advice From Slate

Several years ago, a very close friend of mine commissioned a bespoke handgun from a very well-regarded custom shop—he spent about $5,000 specifically so he could create a new family heirloom, which he hoped would be passed father to son for several generations. Unfortunately, he was taken by an illness at an unexpectedly young age and passed away when his son was too young to be responsible for a handgun. He gave the gun to me before he died, with the understanding that I would give the gun to his son when he was old enough.

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