The Day I Lost My Best Friend

Today I realised something. It came as a huge blow to me because I never expected it. I have this friend whom I have known all my life. She is like a sister to me. When her marriage of 30 years came crashing down, I was devastated. Devastated not because I didnt see it coming. Devastated because she married this guy at the fresh age of 17. He was her first love, her first boyfriend, her first crush. Talk about a greenhorn. Her husband never wanted children but she conceived just one kid- a daughter. So when she told me that she had walked out on her husband of 30 years, I cried for her for all the years she had lost. Her youth, her beauty, her energy, her passion, everything. She had put it all in her marriage and it came to an end. Now that was devastating. Everyone knew that her husband was a womaniser. Once a womaniser, always a womaniser. She was his thirdwife.

I still remember the day she called me to tell me that her marriage was over. Actually it was over a long time ago but she kept up appearances.I dropped everything I was doing and rushed to her place. She didnt look as dejected as I thought she would be. Well, that was a good sign. Perhaps she was so numb with the endless affairs her husband had that she did not know what to feel anymore. And then she dropped the bombshell. She had been having an affair with a married man for the last 15 years. She said that her lover is going to divorce his wife and marry her in 6 months time. Why 6 months? If you want to marry someone why wait?

I told her her lover is the typical man who wants the cake, the whole cake and he wants to eat it all by himself. But she believed in him and his empty promises. I would call her everyday and tell her to leave him because it is a relationship that would not last. She had no future with him. He is a married man with children. I reminded her as to how she felt when her husband strayed and why is she now doing the same. Apparently, her lover's wife found about the clandestine affair and lost no time in harressing my friend. My friend instead told her to try to woo her husband back and that it was her lover who was after her and not the other way around.

Once when I was at the movies, her lover's wife hurled abuses at her in full view of everyone.She just smiled and walked away shaking her head. I was quite disturbed with Grace's attitude. I realised then that maybe I dont know her all that well. We have been friends for upteen years and I see a side of her which I cant comprehend leave alone accept. I spent the next one year actually trying to talk her out of this relationship with this married man which she had no fututre. I cried nights after nights thinking about where Grace had put herself. Everytime I called her I would implore her to leave him. One day, I realised that it was not my call. Maybe she was happy being a mistress. Maybe it was okay for her to be with a married man. And then I stopped calling her for about 6 months. I actually became a foe because we had nothing much to talk about accept for me nagging at her to leave him. I just couldnt help it. Eventhough I tell myself that I would not brooch the subject it just came back everytime we talked. So I stopped calling and in the process, she started hating me. She told me that all I wanted to do is to get her away from this man. And she hated me for it.