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“Emmy let them go!”
Karen shouted at her friend , staring at her with both anger and disbelief in her eyes.
She couldn't believe that after everything Emmy had endured in the cobwebs she called friendship she was willing to go back and forgive everything.
“Hmmm, nobody knows tomorrow ooo. What if I decide to cut all of them off and I need a job offer or an opportunity?”
Emmy muttered meekly to her friend.
Rage, that was all Karen could see. Unlike her friend, she was not scared to burn bridges. She did not care if the wrongdoers in question became the president of the country. She believed certain people should not be entertained into your life if all they cause you is misery.
“These girls don't love you. They don't deserve your love. These are people that have thrown you under the bus time and time again without hesitation. You don't need them!”
Karen stressed with pleading eyes. Her friend was just too weak when it came to matters like this. She's always too willing to forgive, always the one to make excuses for people.
Emmy was the kind of friend that would starve herself and give her friend the last money she has just so they can get the designer bag they've been saving for. She would take a taxi to work just because her friend needed her car to go to the market. To her, friendships meant making sacrifices but it didn't occur to her she was the only one making the sacrifices. She would lend off clothes she hasn't worn before, miss work just to take them to the hospital but never for once has her kind gestures been reciprocated.
They were four friends; Ryna, Karen, Emmy and Rene. Karen quickly understood the kind of friends Ryna and Rene were and so she backed out from the friendship. She was not one to take rubbish and she constantly advised Karen to do the same but Karen would never listen.
What brought about their banter? Rene and Ryan visited Emmy and then begged her to give them some money because they had an ‘emergency’ they needed to take care of. As usual, naive and sweet Emmy gave her card without any complaints. Told them she could only help them with thirty thousand naira. They went to the bank and instead of taking just thirty thousand like she has instructed, they took one hundred and fifty thousand naira.
Angry, Emmy confronted them but all they had to say was that they saw she had enough and decided to take more. She tried explaining to them that the money belonged to her boss and she was supposed to use it to pay workers for the project they had coming up but as usual, Rene and Ryan ignored her and didn't even care if her boss fired her or if she had the money to replace it. She rushed down in anger to meet Karen and explain the whole situation to her begging her to help replace the money.
Karen agreed to give her the money, only if she stops being friends with them.
“If you want to give me the money, give me and stop trying to make me lose a friendship that has been for ages”
“I've made my decision and you have made yours. Stop being friends with them and then we can talk”
It was a hard decision for Karen to make to not help her friend but she needed her to learn to stand up for herself and believe she can live without help from toxic people. Not like they have even been of any help to her.
Emmy was about to leave when Karen called her back,
“I would give you the money but first, explain to me, What's with the need to please people that don't even care about you? Why do you carry people's burden that aren't yours? Why can't you just breathe and be YOU”
Karen was shocked when Emmy suddenly burst into tears. She did not know the question she asked could bring such a reaction.
“All my life, I have helped people carry burdens. I helped my parents to see my siblings through school and so many more and now? I can't stop. It makes me feel like I have a purpose helping people”
Emmy sobbed in her friend's arms. Karen could finally understand why Emmy did what she did. She tried calming her down.
“You learn Emmy, you learn how and know that I'm always here to help you learn. Don't let people take advantage of you, okay?”
Emmy nodded and with the help of Karen, she blocked Ryan and Rene and made good efforts to stop making excuses for people and also help people only when her help is really needed.
