I thought that before, but now I am finally convinced of it. Today proved to me that I had only one real friend, Robert, and that the others were just acquaintances. Honestly, I tried not to get close to any of these people. They are just my acquaintances. I know that reciprocal quid pro quo relationships are prevalent between people nowadays. There is nothing wrong with that.
This kind of cooperation is especially helpful in the workplace. But when it comes to friendship, there can be no exchanges and no commodity-market approach. Just went home, the phone rang. Called one, as I thought before, a good friend. True, I had to be disappointed in my acquaintances that day.
– Hello! – The girl said hello in a very friendly way.
My companion’s name was Sarah.
– Hello, Sarah! – I said, taking things out of the bag.
– Aren’t you forgetting my dress? – she said.
– What dress are you talking about? – I asked, puzzled, because I couldn’t remember promising to do anything.
– About mine, when will you take it? I couldn’t find you until New Year’s Eve, and it still hangs there.
That’s when it became clear to me why she called me. Sarah wanted me to alter her dress. And since I had moved out for a while, all my stuff was there, including the one I had remade for someone else. Because of that, I didn’t take any more orders. I couldn’t sew at the moment.
– Sarah, I’m not taking orders or sewing yet,” I answered. – So this time I can’t help.
– How’s that? – I’ve been waiting for you for over a month, and now you’re not even taking orders?
– Sarah, go to the better master, we have enough of them in town – friendly advised my companion, ignoring her dissatisfaction.
– Do you even know how much the work of a craftsman will cost? – With indignation in her voice she replied.
At this insolence I did not know what to say. It turns out that I can ask for a service for nothing, and then even reproach for something. She needs it urgently, and my circumstances do not care. That’s a wonderful attitude. I was extremely indignant.
– So I have to provide my services free of charge? Is that how it works? And you can blame me for not being able to fulfill your requirements? – I said calmly.
– Why are you so quick to reproach me? I am not reproaching you. You misunderstood me,” Sara said.
– No, I got it right. You couldn’t have got it more right. – I interrupted her tirade, which sounded like a hypocritical attempt to justify myself. Her words were the last straw.
– From this day on you must remember and tell your friends that I will never re-stitch anything for free again. The price will be no less than that of a master atelier. No acquaintance discounts.
There was silence on the phone for over a minute. Sarah was clearly thinking about what she’d heard. But then she finally realized that the freebie was over. The girl began to yell into the tube:
– That’s not what real friends do.
– Sarah, would you open a dictionary, though you have enough of Wikipedia, and read that means friendship, friends and be friends! – I answered her indignation.
After my advice Sarah just turned off the phone. That’s good, I was relieved and more relaxed. One less freeloader will be. If this friend had been wiser, and instead of outraging politely asked, I would have tried to do everything for her. But when you hear such insolent remarks and reproaches, you lose any desire to help people.
I wish Sarah would quickly spread the word that I’m not sewing anything for free now. I hope none of her friends will no longer call me with complaints and requests. Now I can do my own much more important things. I’m going with my dad to pick up my sister and her things. It’s great that he can help me, because I won’t be able to fit everything in.
