I don’t want to go to my friend’s baby shower
My friend Camila is having her baby shower next month, has invited me and my close friend Darla and I don’t want to attend for several reasons. Firstly (and most trivially) I’m not a mom or “baby person” and feel a bit weirded out at baby focused events, her other friends are also mostly older than me and in a totally different life stage or they speak limited English. Trying to make conversation with them is just awkward.
If those were the only issues I would suck it up and show my face for an hour but the main problem is that her friend and my ex-friend Bella will probably be there. My friendship with Bella died years ago as she was flaky, judgemental and generally fake but Darla flat out despises her due to their past fights. I have no interest in fighting with Bella but have no interest in spending time with her either.
For context I did attend Camilla’s gender reveal party and Darla and I were polite to Bella then, I will also be giving a gift regardless of my attendance. Mean as it may sound I feel like I’ve “done my bit” in terms of attending uncomfortable baby events, this feels like a re-run.
Is there a polite way of telling Camilla I don’t want to go to her shower? (If I lie that I “have something on that day” she will be able to tell.)