Is this a thing?

Rent-a-friend. Is this a thing? I mean, in a non-escort service, non-pay-for-sex way. Is it really a thing?

The site has recommended activities of what you and your rented friend could do together. That’s even more interesting.  Assume I know I want to rent a friend, would I have some ideas about what I and my paid friend should do together or would I just be looking for companionship?

But it’s giving me pause. Let me consider.

I watched a movie called Tenure the other night with the brunette Wilson brother.  Ummm, Luke. He needed a dinner date. He wasn’t going for the happy ending, though. He needed to appear desirable to the woman who had invited him. As a single guy with no prospects, he didn’t have many options. So he paid a woman he had been phone stalking to go with him. She was….interesting. Perhaps Luke should have rented a friend.

Then there’s the imaginative Lars & the Real Girl.  Lars takes up with a real doll he purchases online. Clearly, he’s got some intimacy issues. Perhaps Lars should have rented a friend and kept her at bay emotionally. 

Ok, but Hollywood isn’t real life.  So when would you need to rent a friend in real life? According to the site, a rented friend could “show you around an unfamiliar town, teach you a new skill or hobby, or just someone for companionship.”

I’ve been lonely. Everyone has at one point or another. But would you ever consider renting a friend? I would LOVE to know.