From Familiar To Foreign

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you care about someone so much that you not only want to be with them but also protect and support them in all they do? Out of the blue, they change and start acting differently, making you wonder if you should walk away. Whether it is a family, friend, or partner, losing someone you once cared about can be so hurtful. One thing I have realized about humans is that- as the bond gets closer, they start to exhibit new behaviors. My mom will always tell us that you can’t fully know your partner until you get married and start living together. Meaning, it is when you become close with someone that you start to see them for who they are. For Day 20 of the Inleo prompts, we are asked to discuss the complexities of friendships and relationships. Have you ever had a friend or partner change their behavior so much that you had to leave?

I am not a perfect person. Just like every other human being, I’m flawed in many areas. Just like I have had friends who had to leave because they couldn't keep up with my behaviors, I have also had to leave friendships and relationships, despite the memories we shared, because I couldn't keep up with their behavior. I don’t have many experiences when it comes to dating, but the first time I tried it, I had to leave because I couldn't keep up.

I’d always been skeptical about friendships and relationships. But despite my skepticism, I always find myself tangled in different, awkward situations. I remember how our beautiful teenage romance started. I was in my final year in high school and she was too. We attended different schools, but they were close to each other, so we could easily visit each other whenever we wanted. I remember the first time we met. I escorted my friend to her school to see his cousin. Apparently, his cousin and she were best friends. After school, we walked home together. While my friend and his cousin were in front, chatting, I was at the back with her. The conversation was not weird at all. Despite the fact that we'd just met, we clicked immediately and started talking about random things.

Facebook was the trendy app back then. So, we exchanged usernames and started chatting. Every day, when I got back from school, I looked forward to chatting with her. We made it a tradition to chat every day after school. We usually got home by 4:30 pm. I'd change out of my uniform, freshen up, and come online to chat. Sometimes, we started chatting immediately after getting home, still in our uniforms. Before we knew it, we'd become best friends. As I mentioned earlier, it was my first relationship, and I'd never asked a girl out before. On the first day of the new month, I asked her out, and she accepted.

Since I asked her on the first day of a new month, we made it a tradition to celebrate our anniversary on the first day of every month. It was nice and beautiful! During vacation- when the school was on break, we had all the time we wanted. I started visiting her in her place- her father’s house and we’d play games. I remember the one time her dad almost caught me at their house. Although she told me he wouldn't mind, I was scared of dads at that time. Her dad went to his workplace every day and would come back in the evening. But he forgot something at home that day and came back to pick it up. Suddenly, we heard a bang on the door and a loud roar followed- it was her dad. I hid under the bed in her room till he went out. Luckily, he didn't stay for long.

Things were perfect until we had our first big argument. After that fight, I went offline and when came back online, I saw that I'd been added to a group. She had a ground of friends- about 6 girls. So that day, they created that group and all 6 of them started throwing questions from left to right about our fight. In no time, she made it a habit to always tell her friends about our misunderstandings. The next thing, they’d create a group chat, add me, and throw questions at me. They'd dissolve the group after they achieved their aim and create another one when another fight happened. I told her about this and when she wouldn't listen, I had to leave. Although it was painful, leaving was the best decision to make.

It hurts when someone you've known and shared nice memories with starts bringing up new behaviors. It hurts even more when we can't correct them but have to leave instead.

Thanks for reading.