When I was at last ready to tell, I made the decision to tell Kate face-to-face. Despite our distance, it seemed like the appropriate thing to do.
However, there was no excitement when I tried to arrange anything, which was another obvious sign that things had changed. Schedule conflicts and a busy life awaited me once again.
She replied with a cheerful congratulations, replete with emoji and exclamation point, when I reluctantly sent the news. Although the reaction was kind enough, it wasn’t typical after that complete stillness.
She did contact me once to ask for a favor, which I gladly granted. No thank you was offered, even though I didn’t require one.
This began to feel strange since, while I don’t need a lot of attention from friends, I do hold them to a high level.
I didn’t know why, but it seemed like breaking the news to someone had been the last straw in a friendship that was already falling apart.
