The Worst Friend Ever

Last week was probably the worst and the best seven days of my life. From the lowest point (my mom’s health scare) to the highest (got call from the Academy about my upcoming convocation in July, yeah!); unintentionally, I may have had disappointed my dear friends along the way.

Obviously I am no Angel (though sometimes I can be borderline Evil), and for that, I am writing this, in hope that, those who I have wronged last weekend (for not turning up for a couple of social events I've agreed to come), to understand why I did what I did. And I humbly beg for your forgiveness and understanding.

OK, the problem with me and my friends is complicated. It’s all started when someone invites me for something, to somewhere. As always, I knew I couldn’t come and yet I hate to disappoint them, so I’d say a provisional ‘yes’ while claiming a possible, but as yet unconfirmed, probably due to some imaginary “work” commitment. And then a couple of days later I sms back and say ‘I am sorry but no’.

Or more probably I act the real coward and ‘disappear’ for days and ended up disappoint them even more. Get it? See what I mean? Complicated.

The biggest problem with the invitations is how to turn them down. Accepting is dead easy. It’s turning them down that’s so difficult. There are many invitations that I feel obligated to accept for reasons that range from a genuine generosity in relieving someone’s loneliness to even death threat!

So friends, given how ultrasensitive I am to your feeling, if you call for invitation, the general principle would be to try and avoid putting me in a difficult position like an open question like ‘Mus, what are you doing on Friday night?, Oh I know you are free,right? So.....’ OK?. Now that’s a trap. So give me a get-out. It’s the right thing to do because it reduces potential social conflict. I may not want to come. It’s almost inconceivable, I know. But I might not. For whatever reason.

Man, I know how much you want to strangle me with my tie right now, but I feel really bad about it already. I really do. Again, I am sorry for being a jerk of friend. I promise I’ll try to be more direct with my answer.

Maybe next time I’ll just say, “I can’t come, it seems I’ll be watching televison that night”. See, I am EEVIIL.