I Visited An Old Friend.....And It Didn't Turn Out Well

toAt least it didn't turn out well for me. I think it turned out well for my friend. This is a friend from way back in grade school. We were best friends.....and then I moved away. We were both miserable, but in a few years time (which is a lifetime when you are a child) I had made a good life for myself in my new town, was happy, and well liked. My friend, it seems, did not fare as well. She was considered an odd ball (her words). I am so sorry all of that happened. We renewed our friendship a few years ago, when she came to town for a wedding and stayed in a hotel. I saw her quite a bit during the stay and had fun. But I felt that she was very intense, and after she left, I felt drained.

I went to visit her last weekend, and it occurred to me that it might be awkward. And boy was it. I felt "talked at" all weekend and dominated. Whatever subject I brought up, she disagreed with me, lectured me, or made me feel ignorant. Hello???? I bit my tongue the whole time and did not say a word. I do not think she really knows what she is doing. I was only there two and a half days, but I was never so glad to go home and get away. I feel bad for her, but there is nothing I can do. I still care about her and will never tell her. But I will see her sparingly, for sure. Toxic Friends: The Antidote for Women Stuck in Complicated Friendships is a book I might need to read.