How would you handle this work situation?

I need a 2nd job to "get by." I planned to look for bartending/waitressing jobs this week(totally unrelated to my 1st job at an office), & to leave my 1st job a few hrs early to do this, since the only good time to jobsearch is during the afternoon before the happy hr & night crowds. (My job lets us leave early if we make up the hrs later in the week) I neeeeeed a 2nd job or I will not have enough $ to pay bills.

I consulted w/ my coworker that I was leaving early on Tues. Then my coworker had a family emergency that he had to leave early for, so I had to stay(at least 1 of us has to be there). Then we agreed I would go today(Wed) but then he had to leave early to take his kid to the doctor. He's had a lot of family emergencies lately so I know it's not bullshit. So I'm pushing back the jobsearching again.

What if this happens tomorrow, should I give in or should I leave early anyway? I don't want to look like a pushover OR a b*tc#. What should I do?

There's also the transportation problem. I normally take the bus to work b/c it's cheaper. It literally costs 3X the price to drive than take the bus. But today & yesterday, I drove to work b/c I thought I would be jobsearching & it's quicker to drive to places spread out over 25mi than keep waiting for the bus. It woulda only been worth driving to work if I had the benefit of jobsearching(w/ the hopeful payoff of a 2nd job). If I'd known I wasn't leaving early, I wouldn't have bothered to drive on these days.

My coworker offered to reimburse me for gas if I stayed today. Is that reasonable? Should I accept it, or should I say "it's ok" since he's going thru a hard time? What is appropriate to do? I don't want to be a doormat, b/c I've been one in the past. But I also do not want to be a b*tch, b/c my coworker is a decent person & I know he's going thru some stuff right now.

You're going to have to 'up' the ante a little bit here.

Tomorrow, you tell him that YOU'VE got an 'emergency' and have to leave before HE tells you that HE'S got one.

This is why little lies are okay; they keep people from hating each other.

Call in sick. Get chores done in the morning and do the interview in the afternoon. Sick time is meant to be taken.

Leave early. It seems awfully 'convenient' that hes having these emergencies when you need to go somewhere. Its not your responsibility that he has children, you need to feed yourself and pay the bills.

Let me take a slightly different approach:

You should concentrate on getting a better job. Instead of having two low-paying jobs, try to get a better-paying job than what you have now. If that means more training or more school, invest the time while you are young. Working two jobs isn't going to solve the primary problem.

If you know this co worker is not a user of people than believe him. This will give him something to be grateful for later. When you get a chance let him know you need to attend an appointment you been putting off for him and your going to leave early tomorrow. Good Luck!