It was supposed to be a simple loan. I had borrowed $500 from one of my closest friends to cover the cost of a new laptop.
We had known each other for over ten years and had been through thick and thin together. I was confident that I would be able to pay him back once I got my salary.
But now, months later, I still hadn’t paid him back. I had every intention of paying him back, but life kept getting in the way and I kept finding other uses for the money.
Plus, I was getting increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of owing someone money, even if it was a friend.
So I decided that I would not be paying him back, and instead, I would tell him that our friendship was worth more than the $500.
I was sure that he would understand and that our friendship would remain intact.
Little did I know that my friend would not be so understanding. He argued that it was only fair that I pay him back since I had borrowed the money from him in the first place.
He said that our friendship didn’t mean we could ignore basic financial courtesy. I was taken aback by his response and I felt that he was being unreasonable.
I tried to explain to him that money wasn’t the most important thing in our relationship. I said that I valued our friendship far more than I did the loan and that I would not be paying him back.
He wouldn’t listen and he kept insisting that I pay him back.
I felt that our friendship was now in jeopardy. I was hurt that he seemed to value money more than our friendship.
I had thought that he was different, that he wouldn’t put a price on our friendship. But it seemed that I was wrong.
In the end, I decided that I would not be paying him back, no matter how much he insisted. I was willing to take the risk of losing our friendship in order to stand up for what I believed in.
I knew that if he truly valued our friendship, he would understand my decision and our friendship would remain intact.