I have had a long week and about three nerve wracking days in a row. I’m not going to carp on all of it, just the last incident. (Isn’t that the way it always is? No matter how much stress we go through, it is the last incident that breaks the camel’s back.)
The incident relates to a sometimes friend who asked a favor of me. The favor required time and effort that I really didn’t feel I had, bur being who I am, I did it. Then, as we were parting, my friend accused me of something that I did not, nor would I ever, do. The worst part of it was that the accusation came as we were parting and I did not have the opportunity to dialogue about it or even offer a plausible defense other than “I would never do anything like that.”
Without getting into specifics, the accusation centered on an anonymous letter. Had I the opportunity to respond, I would have said:
1. I do not write anonymous letters: doing so is, to me, unethical and basically stupid. Years ago, as a pastor, I learned to look for signatures on letters I receive; if there is none, I destroy the letter without reading it.
2. I have no idea of the content of the anonymous epistle and I do not want to know what it said.
3. I was told the letter was hand delivered to the home where my friend lives; I have been to the address, but I have never been out of my car. I have no reason to get out of my car.
4. Had I delivered the aforementioned letter to the house in question, it would have been a brainless act because I would have certainly been recognized.
5. And, finally, I ask cui bono—who benefits from this letter? I am not able to answer that, except to say that I certainly did not benefit from it.
There, that is said. Unfortunately, the one to whom I need to say it refused to listen. Damn! How I hate it when people get all dramatic!
And so now I pray the Light Prayer for the Greatest Possible Good for the person injured by the letter as well as its anonymous author.
argh!!! You need to write a book, Nick!! Seriously.
ReplyDeletehmmmm... I wonder if I can guess who the dramatic friend is. Yeah, I bet I can!
ReplyDeleteThis would have made a good vignette for a Seinfeld episode. This is just one of those little things that happens that gets your goat, but there isn't much you can do about it.
ReplyDeleteNot much of a friend, one who asks a favor and then, the favor being completed, ambushes you.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that some people are so willing to assume immediately the worst that is stated? This continues to mystify me.
ReplyDeleteNot much of a friend, one who asks a favor and then, the favor being completed, ambushes you.
ReplyDeleteSome people thrive on melodrama. They can't live unless they have something hurtful going on. I hate it and avoid those people as much as possible.
Jay Are: Hey! I am writing a book; however, it’s about what took place some 30+ years ago.
ReplyDeleteMike: I’ll bet you are right! The situation has now cleared up. I suspect that someone read my blog posts about our mutual friend and, with some creative writing, produced the anonymous letter. I also think the issue was to keep our friend from returning to her home in the east. It didn’t work: she goes back to PA tomorrow.
Anonymous 1: Are you the same poster as anonymous 2? Yes, this would have made a good vignette for a Seinfeld episode. But to me, it was not at all funny.
Anonymous 2: In some respects I agree. However, the favor and the letter are different issue. She didn’t think about the, with which she was confronted more than a week ago, until after she had asked the favor and it had been completed. It did piss me off to no end and I confronted her with that this afternoon.
da Judge: With this particular friend I think that the operative word is “think”—sometimes she doesn’t. Also, if what I now suspect is true, she and I were both set up by the author of that letter.
OPPS—I have to go, but I’ll be back to finished my responses soon.
Best Man: Well, I suppose that is a better moniker than “Mike 2.” Yes, this friend thrives on melodrama and has been known to—how should I say it?—monkey with the truth? At any rate, if things go as planned, my friend will be at a distance where I doubt she’ll be asking favors—at least for a while. Not thank I won’t miss her. I will—but not her drama and the deception
ReplyDelete