False Friendship.

Jealousy often makes us do so many harmful things, especially toward the people we claim to love, and it's the ugliest trait in the human race.

One fateful Friday evening, Mariam, our next-door neighbour, came home after work looking so angry and gloomy at the same time. She wore a frown, her eyes downcast, and looked like someone who was so lost in thought that she didn't even respond to my greetings.

"Mom, did you see that look?" I curiously asked my mom, as I had never seen Mariam look so frustrated before, even though I knew she'd been having some marital issues for quite some time now. "I'll see her later," my mom responded, continuing with the crochet she was knitting.

After a few hours, my mom approached her to ask why she wore a serious demeanour, and then she managed to explain all that transpired between her and her used-to-be favourite colleague: "People can be callous; how can a person I call my friend try to betray me?"

"I was appointed as the principal of my school just last month, and Ms Jane suddenly became angry and found fault with everything I did. The worst she did recently was to report me to my boss that I do not qualify for the post because I've been coming late to work recently as I have some marital issues that have been making me emotionally and mentally unstable."

"I got to find out today, and my heart is shattered. Ms. Jane is evil." She furiously complained.

I and my mom were quite puzzled by her experience because we knew the colleague to be her favourite, as Mariam fondly spoke of her. Sometimes the same person came to her house to visit her, and they ended up laughing so hard that I thought they both meant well for each other. I've seen Mariam buy some gift items for Ms. Jane on several occasions, as she loved Ms.Jane so much to the moon and back.

She almost let out a tear, as she couldn't believe someone she called a friend could be the reason for her downfall.

I was dumbfounded for a moment when she was narrating the whole story to my mom, and as soon as she left, her experience became food for thought for me because one needs to be very careful of whom they share their problems with, remembering that not every friend who smiles at you is your best friend.

I paused for a moment to reflect on the kind of people who are in my circle. With thought-provoking questions, I began to soliloquize, "Are the people in my life rowing while I'm rowing my boat, or is there someone secretly drilling a hole when I am not looking?"

This whole experience became an eye-opener for me, as I am now extra careful of those whom I let into my space.