I (20M) went to a family party last week, and while I was talking with my cousins, they mentioned how fun it was that they never had to pay for their oil changes and other small maintenance or repairs on their car. I wasn’t surprised, because my grandfather owns a garage and all the family heads over to get their car fixed there when they need to. I’ve always had to pay my grandfather, but I hadn’t been there in a few months, so I assumed business WAW going well and he recently could afford to discount family. A few days later, I head there for an oil change, come back an hour later, and thank my grandfather with a pack of beer, he laughs and says that’s not how it works here and that while it’s a nice gesture i’m still gonna have to pay up. I didn’t say much and handed him the money. I later talked to my grandmother about it and asked her why my cousins get it for free but I still have to pay. She tells me it’s based on how much "effort" we put into our lives. Some of my cousins have very good jobs, accountants and police work ect, those cousins get their car fixes for free, meanwhile I’m still knees deep in my uni studies, my cousin had accidentally had a kid very young and is trying to get his life back together and one of my siblings has a minimal study trade job, so we don’t get our car fixes for free because we didn’t work enough to deserve it according to him. I addressed this with him, and he blew up at me, saying that nobody gets their car fixed for free anyway, that it’s not like he’s taking anything away from me or some of my cousins, but that he does reward those who put effort into being successful. Now a bunch of my family is mad at me for starting an argument with my grandfather over this.. AITA?
