When Jennifer and I split, we told our friends they didn’t have to pick sides. It was an amicable split, and we didn’t want our friends acting strange around us. As it turned out, our friends all got weird. I had to re-evaluate everything I knew as true. Apply cold, hard logic and look at peoples’ behaviors and make calculated conclusions. Unemotional conclusions. It wasn’t pretty.
In the wake of all that, I made some new friends and clung to them dearly, being as honest and faithful as I could to prove (to myself and them) that I really was a person who was worth being called “friend.” I thought I had built a strong base to help me stand after the most traumatic experience in my life.
As it turns out, I have to look again at those I’ve invited into my life and re-evaluate. Take a cold, hard look at each one and figure out just who’s my friend and who’s playing me for a mark.
I wanted so badly to put the Scorpion hat away. Now, it’s on for good.