I had occasion today to spend a few minutes with someone I don't trust. He's a friend of a friend, and to make this easier, let's call him Scum. That's pretty much what I call him, anyway...

I don't trust him because he lied to me a few years ago.

Mutual friend and I don't discuss the situation, but whenever Scum's name comes up in our conversations (which it does occasionally), the lie is there, like an elephant sitting in the room.

Funny thing is, if Scum would just admit that he lied, and apologize, I would probably eventually come to some level of trusting him again. Not quickly, but eventually his credibility could be reestablished.

Instead, he tries to charm me.

While I find him and his attempts amusing, mostly I just think of him as scum.