Badmouthing Your Buddy

Display of Crayons at WAO Schwarz, New York, NY  Copyright 2012: singeronthesand

Those who return evil for good

will meet their own evil returning.

Proverbs 17:13

I have a young friend who moved to Virginia about a year and a half ago.  He was anxious for a new start, and his best friend needed someone to do childcare while he and his wife worked, so the young man (we'll call him Bruce) moved to Richmond and took over the care of two young children (which expanded to three every other weekend).  After a year of taking care of kids, driving the husband all round town, and helping around the house (in exchange for food and a roof over his head), Bruce decided that it was time to get back to the real work-a-day world.  He discussed these plans with the couple, and they gave him a deadline date of when they would no longer need him to take care of their children.

Bruce sent out resumes, secured an interview, and got the job.  Immediately the wife demanded that he pay rent for his room - $100 a week - just for the tiny room partially filled with their stuff - no food included.  Bruce wanted to find a place much closer to his work, so he began to look for other living quarters.  He found a room with a friend very close to his new job as a temporary stopping place until he could get his own apartment.  He tried to call the couple he had lived with to make arrangements to come and get all his stuff, but they weren't answering their phones.  After they informed him that he owed them money for this week because even if he wasn't there, his stuff was, he drove out to get his things.  Mysteriously, the couple was no where to be found.

Early this morning, Bruce got a text message from this friend, cursing and threatening, telling him to come get his stuff that that they had "left out on the porch." A few hours later, the wife texted, with more threats and curses. Mind you, they are swearing at the man who once was entrusted with taking care of their children for months. Nnw that he is not going to cooperate and pay them money to live with them, however, they have no use for him.  The "best friend" will probably think again and eventually apologize for his nasty words, but the friendship, for all intents and purposes, is finished.  Returning evil for good never has a happy ending.