My heart sank when I saw him walking down the street. It was my old friend, John (not his real name), and I knew he owed me money.
He pulled his friend and moved quickly away after spotting me
I had tried to get in contact with him for months to no avail, and now here he was in the flesh. I rushed to greet him, eager to finally resolve this issue, but before I could get close enough, he grabbed his friend and pulled him in the opposite direction.
My immediate thought was that he was avoiding me. I knew that I had a good chance of collecting what he owed me if we could just talk it out. But John wasn’t having any of it. I followed him for a few minutes, calling out his name, but he just kept walking, clutching onto his friend’s hand.
I was so frustrated and embarrassed. I felt like everyone was watching me, judging me for chasing John down the street.
Was afraid that I let his friend know about his debts
I finally caught up to him, and I asked why he was running away from me. He paused for a few seconds, then said he was worried that I was going to expose him.
He was afraid that I was going to tell people about the money he owed me.
It was a valid concern, as I was so desperate to get the money back that I had already told a few close friends about it. I could see the fear in his eyes, and I knew that he was genuinely scared of what I might do.
I felt bad for him, but at the same time I was so angry. I had been struggling to make ends meet while he had just been living his life, not caring that he was taking advantage of me.
I told him that I wouldn’t expose him, and asked him to just give me what he owed me.
But he just shook his head and told me that he didn’t have any money. I was so furious that I wanted to hit him, but I managed to keep my composure.
I told him that I would find a way to get the money back and that I would do everything in my power to make sure he pays me back.
He seemed relieved, but I was still mad. I wanted to scream at him, but I just turned around and walked away. I knew that I had to get the money back, but I felt like I had lost the battle.
I had wanted to prove that I was the better person, but instead I was left standing in the street feeling helpless.