I have been thinking a lot about a 'friendship' that went down the tubes some time last year. I don't remember when because I was very ill. This was a relationship with two people lasting about 15 years. I didn't know what I was feeling this last couple of weeks when I have thought of them daily.
Then I was able to recall what took place. I texted to ask why I had not seen her for a long time when she knew how ill I was. I got 'I have enough negativity in my life.' This from someone I sat with, listened to her and her pain and held while she cried. The pain was real. She had much to cry about. It was always at my house because her house was 'full of men' and besides she couldn't share in her house. I understood that.
I was really hurt by her response. My gut twisted. I was so hurt I knew I had to get my wedding album re-done so that I wouldn't keep being re-hurt every time I saw them. I texted this. I can see clearly how it may have come across as spite. It really wasn't.
The man left me a really nasty message on my answerphone. It was clear that the woman had lied to him. He thought I didn't go to their house for a reason he said he knew what it was. He didn't know. She had not told him it was her choice. I was never invited after '07 and besides which we did frequently pop in. He then added that from now on he would be polite but I was dead as far he was concerned. I am not sure of the exact words but the intent is the same. As if he thought my friendship would continue with her. The man never did like me. As much as he tried to hide it, he was not comfortable with homosexuals. Ironic when his work is about reducing prejudice and promoting equality. His discomfort could just have been he did not like me. So of course I was uncomfortable around him but it never stopped me trying to get past it.
Anyway, I had been thinking about letting them know how sorry I was with how things went.
Then, sorting it through in my mind, I realised this: they were both very cruel. The threats and lies. The threats particularly were designed to make me paranoid.
All this done to a friend of 15 years who was extremely ill and close to losing the battle all together.
I am glad I allowed myself to think this through and stopped denying the cruelty with which I was treated. I think I have just been missing the friendship I thought I had. There is no way I can ever have any kind of friendship with them. It never was. It never will be.
Another friend I was really hurt by because I knew they had withdrawn from me and every time I brought it up they swore they hadn't. Yet most contact was initiated from me. I am not daft. I knew their feelings had changed. I did at least get the truth though. They had withdrawn. Why? Because they knew I was getting ill.
I have several females do this. They have were very keen to have a friendship and then somewhere along the line, they cooled and sometimes, in fact mostly, they turned nasty. This one didn't do that at least. However, from my side, trust has been destroyed and I won't get that back.
I have John and perhaps 3 friends who accept me as I am and do not desert me at my most vulnerable. However, if John pops his clogs before I do, none of them are able to be anything more than they are now. I love them and they love me it seems. I am not so short sighted that I can't see how age and disease prevents at least two of them being able to physically help me. Never mind the fact two live far away and only one on my doorstep.
When I die, if John has already gone, I will have no one, except the close by friend, to take care of me and attend my funeral. I am frightened by that.
A whole life time and this is where I am. It is really hard to not think I am at fault. It can't just be my health that has always put people off. Certainly this time, those I lost coincided with my disease progressing really fast to how it is now because I stupidly fought it and denied that I would get worse. If I continued my life as normal, I could stop it. I now know different.
I have had to accept my disabled status and my dependancy. Dealing with pain 24/7 and then a deep depression which came very close to killing me, then a fall that almost killed me too. (I now know I did knock myself out because what I said happened I made up. I didn't know I had. It was only when the cleaning lady who told me what happened , did I realise that I filled in the blank spot.) The fall left me shaken, feeling totally dependent, vulnerable and scared.
I was kicked viciously when I was so down I couldn't get any further down. Friends don't do that.
It has taken me a long time to stop denying what happened and how I feel about it. It makes me feel very sad.
And scared.
No comments:
Post a Comment