My Friends Think I’m Petty
I am. But I’m also defending myself from friendship red flags.
My small group of friends fell apart on June 7th, 2021, when we got infected with COVID-19.
Why we fell apart wasn’t because of health, though. We were lucky. Nobody died, ended up in the hospital, or got long COVID. We’ve all gone back to our normal lives, jobs and hobbies, even working out.
Why we’re not seeing each other anymore is because, according to my friends, I’m being petty. I call it long overdue self-defense.
My group of four best friends from university was my pandemic bubble. They were pretty much the only people I saw since March 2021, apart from the cashier at the grocery store and the gym instructors. We were all very busy during the lockdowns, too, so we only got together a handful of times.
It was impossible not to see anyone in over a year. It was never certain we wouldn’t get the virus, of course, but most of us tried to keep things as safe as possible. I took long walks and had coffee and beers outside with them. We even had a couple of outdoor birthdays, including mine.
Then it was time for my friend Claudia’s (name changed) birthday. She invited us for lunch and some drinks at her place.
