"In danger, would you forgive your friend if he ran away first? "

There's a friend who sticks more than a brother. For sure, there are friends who can go all out just to save you from danger. There are also friends who will drive you into danger and leave you to fight all alone. I have heard of friends who lure their friends into danger and make sure they don't come out alive, while some who could fight through will tell the story, those who passed away in the course of it have no time to tell theirs. The big question is, if you made it alive, would you forgive such a friend?

In my high school days, I had a friend whose name was Hilda. I thought had good intentions for our friendship.

One day, Hilda wanted to visit her uncle in town who was her sponsor in school as her mother was a single mother. According to her, she was her uncle's favourite, hence, his decision to sponsor her education.

On the day she was to visit her uncle, she pleaded that I see her off to her uncle's house since my parents were at work and wouldn't be back soon. After school, I followed her to her uncle's house.

On arrival, uncle wasn't at home, he was at work. She pleaded that I should patiently wait till her uncle returned from work. Finally, her uncle was back from work with his friend. So she went in to help her uncle in the kitchen. It was getting late, I needed to go home.

My friend was trying to pacify me to wait, but no, I was freaking out. She told me that she wanted to buy something. So, I was left with this stranger who she said was her uncle's friend, who told me he could do everything I needed. Pay my fees, buy clothes and also give me a lot of money.

I was naive, but immediately I heard that, I put on my antenna. I knew I'd entered the wrong hands. The worst of it all, I had no single money to pay my way back home.

I excused him to ease myself, which he obliged. Of course, I wasn't with any item on me. That was how I left the house and stood outside waiting for my friend to return. Before then, I gave the guy a piece of my mind to the admiration of the neighbours around.

It was dark, so my friend finally came back with the thought that I would sleep over because everything was all planned. But nay, she failed. I refused to sleep. She said she had nothing to do if I couldn't sleep because that's the only way I could get a transport fare back home. What? Is that so?

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She immediately turned to the enemy. The person who was all nice and loving? I took the risk of having to get a bike (motorcycle) to drop me off at home while I paid him when I got home. We began our journey back home. On our way, the bike rider said he wasn't going to where I was going, and I'd have to pay.

My goodness, pay you? I have no money. I was going to get money at home to pay you. After so much argument, he decided to continue. It was a big risk I took. I finally got home past 9 o'clock. I paid the man and he left. My parents weren't at home, only my siblings. It was a tough experience. Who do I tell? How do I narrate to people my ordeal?

She was at school the day after the incident. She walked to me and said " I hate you." Without holding back, I returned it to her " I hate you too." Long story cut short, she left our school, she relocated to another place.
It was an experience that took me years before I could forget. That was about 20–22 years ago.

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The event was way back. I forgave her and moved on, but it took me a very long time before I could totally let go of the hurt she caused me. I got healed in the space of time.
That very incident ended our friendship and whatever she had been to me.

In summary, it's possible to let go with the space of time, like in my case. Forgiving your friend is possible, but letting go or forgetting about the hurt may take time based on how much you were being hurt.

I'm inviting

@missyleo
@joan-a
@adachukwu

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