I used to have a friend named Ksenia. We were friends since childhood. It was interesting and fun with her. But she had one flaw. Ksenia only listened to herself. In our younger years, it wasn’t a big problem. Sure, I had to repeat the same thing three times before she would listen to me.
Back then, I didn’t take this trait of hers seriously. Well, repeating things a few times before she acknowledged my words wasn’t a big deal. Perfect people don’t exist, and in everything else, she was a good friend.
However, this particular aspect of her character became the reason for our falling out. She rushed into marriage right after school. Thankfully, the man responsible didn’t run away, but rather married her honestly. I, on the other hand, went to university, graduated, got a job, and slowly built my career. But our friendship didn’t break.
We didn’t interact often due to differing interests, but we still considered ourselves friends. After all, friendship isn’t dependent on the frequency of contact, right? My mother was surprised by our friendship. “What can you even talk about? Besides gossiping, she has no other interests.” Well, in something, my mother was right.
By the time of my wedding, Ksenia already had three children: ten, eight, and six years old. Of course, I invited Ksenia and her husband to the wedding. However, I immediately warned her, “Don’t bring the kids!” I had seen the chaos that my cousin’s children caused at her wedding. Just you and your husband! And knowing her nature to let things go in one ear and out the other, I repeated the warning eight times.
And so, the day of my wedding arrived. Ksenia showed up with her whole family. “I did warn you – no kids!” I frowned. “Where am I supposed to put them?” “That’s not my problem! Take care of them. I’ll only be happy to see you and your husband here!” I snapped back. They left. And they didn’t return. Ksenia doesn’t answer my calls. She’s offended, as if it’s my fault that she couldn’t listen to my words.
