Week One
I text Becky to ask if she wants to hang out this weekend. Its Wednesday so there's plenty of time to make arrangements. She sounds like it's all good. She texts Rhea if she wants to go too. I know shes going to skip because shes got her new best friend/flat mate to party with now. I let her go ages ago because we just don't have anything in common any more (not that we did much in the first place).
All of a sudden Becky has no money because her mum can't drive her to/from the station (she lives in the middle of nowhere). Now she needs to make up for the money she has to spend on the bus getting home and back. She lives at home, pays no rent and is earning way above minimum wage. She does nothing but work, so where all that money has gone, who the fuck knows. All I asked was to hang out for a day, like friends do.
Her txt goes like this:
Mum can't drive me for 3 months. I need to save for bus. We have to meet another time.
I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with her. This sends me into a string of negative thoughts about myself. How can I not? You ask yourself why she suddenly made a silly excuse like that. Why she doesn't want to spend time with me.
So I completely turn off my phone, I don't expect to hear from her again for another month or so. Who would? After being told she can't go out because she hasn't got the money. For the exact time of 3 months? Fine. Try to let it go...
Week Two
So I just get on with work and projects at home. Randomly I turn on my phone on the Friday evening after finishing a piece I made. Oh, what's this? A text from Becky asking if I wanted to go out on Saturday.
On top of overwhelming disappointment I'm getting angry. But I hold it in, and tell myself I'll meet up and then tell her how her behaviour to me has made me feel. I'll save my anger.
I reply: I thought you had no money?
I get a reply in the morning of Saturday:
Becky: Don't worry about it, it's alright.
Me: Ok, you can buy me dinner then.
Becky: LOL, blah blah blah
Me: When, where?
Becky: I'm really sorry but I can't, working today. Can we do another time?
WTF?
The Weekend
For the next 2 days we argue over her bailing out again. Apparently, because she didn't get a reply in time, she agreed to work and she couldn't get out of it. She volunteered and gets the overtime pay. She doesn't answer my questions about her previous text saying she hadn't the money to spend for the next 3 months. She immediately goes into defensive mode and doesn't take any notice of what I'm saying. She starts to get very petty, arguing over very small silly things, just like she does at her work place. Her language is cold just like she was talking to someone at work. She's closed off her emotions and any feeling she has. I on the other hand am basically in tears and want to finish the friendship.
Since she started working, all she ever talks about is work. And all she
ever says is negative. Moaning and whining about this and that. I think she's turned into a workaholic. And even worst something of a self-obsessive. I happily listen and give my advice every time. I get angry on her behalf about how she's treated. We talked (last time I saw her) about her manager not being very good, he relied solely on her to pick the slack of everyone else. That was not fair on her, but she just falls for his friendly charming ways every time. From what she's told me, he can't control the bad attitude around there so he just lays the work on her. And she happily takes it.
I'm attacking her manager and she comes up with a supremely hurtful comment:
You just hate my life so much, why can't you be happy for me.
After all those years of her going on about how bad her work place is? I hate everything in her life? I said nothing about her boyfriend or her family that she didn't tell me herself. She comes from a family where there's a lot of spite and terrible shallowness about how you should look and how much you make, who you're dating/married to. She interpreted my comments as jealousy. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was just talking about her manager and how he manipulates her. Nothing about her family or boyfriend.
This happened a few weeks ago, so the emotions have subsided somewhat. But I can tell you, this sent me into a bout of depression. I do not use that word lightly. I know I have been on the tip of it for a few years now.
I finally came out that I was suffering from depression. She's not the kind of person to turn to for help, which is why I never talked about it to her. She wouldn't know what to do with it. I was right, she talked about getting help from a doctor and that was pretty much it.
Suddenly her problems became overshadowed by mine. I never talk about myself or my troubles. I'm always the one listening to others and giving advice. No one has ever really wanted to know. Anyone with depression knows what I'm talking about.
The conversation pretty much stopped there. No arranging to meet up. If I knew a friend was feeling low, the first thing I would do is try to see them as soon as possible. I didn't get that. I never wanted to talk about my troubles, all I wanted was a cheer up, a good laugh. What are friends for?
I'm having to look at this 'friendship' from a step back without getting emotional. Trying to work out if this person, who I've known for 8 years since uni, is worth me knowing any more.
This Week
I texted her this past week to see, yes, if she wanted to hang out. I expect her to say no or make some excuse.
Busy for the next 2 weeks.
That's all she says.
I could leave it there but I actually have something to ask about laser cutting at her workplace. I have some jewellery I'm making I want to get cut and ask if it's possible for her (or her boyfriend who she works with) to do it at work. Yes, send me what you want to get cut etc etc. Like she was taking an order from a customer, a stranger. She doesn't ask about what it is I'm making, or how it's going. No interest whatsoever.
I don't reply to her after that. She comes back a few days later:
How ya doin?
So you're worried all of a sudden? Worried for your own conscience or actually worried about me?
Where do I go from here?