That night was different from the previous ones. The atmosphere was tense, even with the calm breeze. As I lay on my bed, I couldn't shake off what had happened that day. "What had I done?" was the question racing through my heart. The whirling fan seemed to sense my heaviness.
My day started off with a sit-out invite from my boyfriend, Eric, with my friends. I expected it to be a pleasant moment, but Becky's wild food choices and awkward eating habits scared me. We had been having girls' outings, and her repetitive attitude never changed.
"Would she try to behave herself today since someone, in particular, would be joining us?" I asked myself. "Should I keep it a secret from her and go with Merit alone?"
We had our WhatsApp group, just the three of us, where we chatted and discussed everything. Immediately, I typed the sit-out invite to our group chat, and the duo responded to it happily.
"Becky, you know you are a weirdo when it comes to using cutlery. I don't even want to go into your menu choice."
"Madam, rest. I don't live a fake life. I am unique, and I do whatever I do with confidence. Maybe I will have a chance in the future to improve my eating habits, but for now, anyone who doesn't feel good about it should deal with the problem. That's it."
"Mary, why do you drink medicine over someone's problem? If she misbehaves, she would be the one embarrassed."
"Tell her, ooo!!! I'm not even encouraged to go with you guys again."
"Becky, I don't mean it the way you are interpreting it. The whole thing irritates me, and that's why I can't keep mute whenever. Just try to be on your best behavior; that place is a big place to get us embarrassed."
"Enough, please!! You are pissing me off already. Or should I leave this group chat for you?"
As we sat at the eatery, our voices echoed in joy as we envisioned a blissful outing. A beautiful figure with four different menus walked to our table to take our orders. With different choices, we ticked our order, and she returned. Despite all my pleading before she arrived, Becky ordered eba and soup. This food was awkward to eat in public, mostly if one is not good with cutlery, and that is the category Becky belonged to.
Everything about her bothered me as we sat at the table. Creating a scene was the last thing I wanted.
Everything about her eating was embarrassing, unconscious of where she was, it was too embarrassing for me to endure. Merit's sheepish smiles added more to my anger. Out of anger and desperation, I lashed out at Becky, my words dripping with venom.
"Babe, is everything alright? Your facial expression isn't nice. You don't like your choice of food?" Eric asked.
"Everything is not alright. Can't you see it? Becky is embarrassing us."
"ooh, it's all about me! I thought as much but I didn't want to be too fast."
"Keep whatever you have to say to yourself. I didn't invite you here to embarrass and create a scene. All eyes are directed to our table because of your village lifestyle. Which city person eats the way you do, madam! Eeh!" I snapped at her, my voice cutting through like a knife.
The words hung in the air, everyone feeling uneasy. As Becky arranged herself to leave in anger, Merit spoke up in her defense, her voice boiling with anger.
"Mary, that was too harsh. We talked about this, and you remembered vividly what her response was. It was uncalled for; perfection is not for all, freedom is what you should learn to let those around you enjoy. You just ruined the whole outing. Thanks, Eric, for having good thoughts in mind for us. We hope to see you next time, Becky shall we?" She said as they both stormed out with sad looks on their faces.
It was too late for me to correct the damage. I sat down and watched my two friends walk out on us with faces flushed with anger and humiliation. I was ashamed of myself; what just happened? How could I have been so cruel to Becky?
As Eric and I sat silently for minutes, we lost our appetite, even with empty stomachs. With a resigned sigh, he approached the counter and footed the bill. As we headed home, silence loomed. Eric's efforts to smooth things failed; I couldn't shake the feeling of guilt I felt. As I got home, I dialed Becky's line endlessly, and I kept getting busy.
The easiest way to reach her was through our WhatsApp group.
"Goodbye, miss perfect. I hope you had a nice time after you dissolved the gathering."
"Becky, you are going the extra mile. Don't do what you want to do," Merit tried to stop Becky from exiting the group chat, but her words didn't pierce enough. My last hope was shattered, no means of reaching her to apologize.
I was left to right my wrongs; I needed to get everyone happy. After I called Becky for an hour and she refused to pick up my call, I reached out to Eric and Merit to accompany me to her place to plead for her forgiveness.
In less than 30 minutes, they arrived at my house, and we made our way to Becky's house. I couldn't help but wonder if things would ever be the same between us again.
Getting to Becky's house was easy, but was tough getting her to open the door. After lots of pleading, she opened the door with sadness and vexation written all over her face.
Immediately, I began saying everything I knew I could say for her to see how remorseful I felt, "Becky, please, I'm begging you. I know I hurt and humiliated you. But I'm assuring you it won't happen again. Please, I need a response from you."
After a few moments, she responded, "this wasn't the first, not second, not even third. You have been speaking ill of me. The way you exaggerate my behavior outside isn't even how bad it seems, but all you need is perfection. I was pissed, no doubt, but I needed to go to the extreme for you to know how hurtful some expressions can spoil one's day."
"I'm sorry; it was later I realized how hurtful my words were. It won't happen again; I can't afford to lose our friendship. Can we consider everything that happened today as water under the bridge and move on, please?" She nodded in agreement and we all smiled as I gave her a long lasting hug. After that incident, I learnt to respect her choices and know my boundaries, with respect and understanding we waxed stronger as friends till date. Though, profession separated our togetherness but our friendship remains stronger. We lost our WhatsApp group as she refused joining back and suggested conference call whenever we want to have our girls talk.