The End Of An Era

One of life's many treasures is finding that one person that you trust whole-heartedly, that one person that you can talk to and know you will be listened to without being judged, that one person with whom you can share your innermost darkest secrets that you could not tell anyone else and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your secret is safe with, that one person who would have your back no matter what whether you were right or wrong, that one person whom you could always count on to be there for you in your worst of times, that one person that you were so connected to that the both of you were closer to each other more so than your actual family, that one person you would do anything possible within your power and no questions asked, that one person you spent the most time with and did the most with, that one person with whom you called your friend. And not just your everyday run-of-the-mill friend but your special friend, your best friend. There is nothing more precious than the bond and connection you build with your best friend. Unlike other friends, this friend is in it for the long haul. At least that is what Rebecca had always thought of her best friend Mindy. Rebecca and Mindy met each other in the most unsuspecting of ways when they were introduced to each other through a mutual friend that has since then been blacklisted from their small circle of friends at no one's fault but her own. Anyway, as I was saying Rebecca and Mindy once introduced had hit it off immediately. It was almost as if it was in the stars for them to meet. Neither one of them could have ever foreseen what was to come from their meeting, and neither one of them could have ever imagined just how much they needed each other and how valuable they would become to each other. No one could have ever thought that what was to come would ever form into something so special and priceless. But their story really starts to shape the way of their future only a few days after they first met. See Mindy is married to her husband Mitchelle and a stay-at-home mom to the cutest little boy one could ever lay eyes on. That little boy had a smile and a laugh that even if you only saw him once you could never forget him. Anyone with a heart and soul was sure to fall head over heels for this little instantly and that is what had happened with Rebecca. Rebecca began to see that Mindy was somewhat struggling while her husband was at work all day because just like Rebecca, Mindy had a huge heart for other people and she wore it on her sleeve lots of people saw that and took full advantage of it and these other people would come to Mindy's house and would camp out, crash out, they would not contribute to Mindy or her son and just really took advantage of her kindness and Rebecca though just new into the situation could not stand to watch it all and not want to say anything in Mindy's defense. Well, Rebecca happened to stop by Mindy's house one day to say hi and check up on her and the baby and the first thing Rebecca saw was a living room full of people who were serving no purpose other than making a permanent indention in the couch and chair cushions. None of them took into notice that Mindy's son had nothing but a saltine cracker to eat yet not trying to help Mindy get her baby some food either. This infuriated Rebecca and without a single word, Rebecca left and came back with a 24-pack of tacos from a local and nearby taco joint just a few blocks up from Mindy's home. As Rebecca walks into Mindy's house with all the tacos it is as though the dead have risen and are trying to crowd Rebecca like bloodthirsty vultuers. Without a single thought, Rebecca instantly tells the vultures to back off until Mindy and her son have a chance to eat and get full if there were any tacos left after that then they could eat but Rebecca's main concern at that moment was Mindy and her baby. It was at that very moment that both Rebecca and Mindy began to see what kind of friend they had found in one another. From that moment on Mindy was there for Rebecca and had Rebecca's back and vice versa. That was when their friendship really began to blossom. It was not much longer after that Rebecca and Mindy started getting closer and closer and at a fast pace at that. It was like they were put in each other's paths at that exact time for a reason. Most people would not think anything of it other than they found themselves a good true friend, But for Rebecca and Mindy, it would turn out to be a whole lot more than that. Turns out Rebecca needed Mindy at that precise moment just as much as Mindy needed Rebecca. Without any warning or thought Rebecca stuck like glue to Mindy and Mindy to Rebecca and the more they hung out together and got to know each other the stronger their bond got and soon they were attached at the hip. Which for Rebecca was a breath of fresh air because Rebecca was not the type that got along with other girls and she never had the desire to even try for that matter. But there was something about Mindy that really drew her in and she could not quite put her finger on what it was but there was just something about Mindy that Rebecca could not ignore. Soon they were like two peas in a pod and they had formed that kind of bond and closeness that you would expect to see in twin sisters if Mindy was thinking it Rebecca was saying it and likewise, they would finish each other's sentences, if one of them was ill or something was not quite right with the other it was like the other one could sense it. They were just so in tune with each other. It was cool because they had become so close to each other that you could not tell that they were not related at all. As time went by they were always there for each other for everything. And before either one knew it a year had already gone by then two years then three then 10 and nothing was able to come in between them. Until something did. Next thing they knew they were arguing over little things that were not worth the argument and then they would come to their senses and they would apologise and make up and all would be well again for the time being. Then they would find themselves in yet another falling out but they still made up. Then Rebecca started going through a rough patch that she was not sure if she was going to make it through because Rebecca found herself homeless and forced to live in her car. Most people would not have stuck their necks out to help but Mindy did. Mindy went all out and made space in her home and shed for Rebecca to store all her belongings so she would not have to worry about having everything she owned just packed up in her car all the time, Mindy made sure that Rebecca would eat daily by insisting that Rebecca come to her house to eat, Mindy opened her home to Rebecca making sure Rebecca had clean clothes to wear by doing her laundry, letting her shower, and neither Mindy or her husband would complain if Rebecca would fall asleep in their lounge chair in their bedroom they would just let her sleep and get some rest. Mindy was such a great friend to Rebecca as Rebecca was to Mindy. And for Rebecca to say that about any female is astonishing because Rebecca has never really been the type to get along with other females. But somehow Mindy was able to get past Rebecca's inner walls and earned herself a permanent place in Rebecca's heart. And to say that the two girls have been as close as close can get for something around eight to ten years now is even more astonishing. But that is not where their story ends. As any two people in a friendship like theirs, they have had their fair share of issues, they have had their ups and downs, and there was an ongoing issue between them that never really got resolved. More like it just got overlooked and swept under the rug due to neither Rebecca nor Mindy wanted to keep rehashing it and going on and on about it when it was obvious they were not going to agree on it anyway, so they agreed to disagree and just let it go. There could not have been a worse way to handle their issue but for that moment it seemed to work. See, Rebecca has always been like the backbone of the friendship because from, the very beginning, she pretty much took Mindy under her wing and stepped up to help take care of things that Mindy needed help with at the time. Things like Rebecca was helping Mindy with paying her rent, and whatever else, she was helping Mindy with money for groceries, gas in her and her husband's car, cigarettes, etc but at the same time Rebecca had the income that allowed her to do all of that without putting herself out to do it. Rebecca and Mindy went shopping literally every day, the three of them went out to eat pretty much every meal every day, and their bills were always paid, both of their cars always had a full tank of gas, to say the least, all of their basic needs were always met and taken care of and then some, and Rebecca was happy to help out. Life was pretty comfortable for all the people involved. Then the pandemic hit and it hit everyone hard. Especially Rebecca. As the pandemic kept getting worse and worse, everybody was losing their jobs, being temporarily laid-off, or forced to take a lower position and a drastic pay cut if they wanted to keep their jobs, self-employed people and owners of small or family-owned businesses were being forced to either temporarily close down until the mask mandates were lifted and the lockdown periods were lifted or permanently shut down and go totally out of business due to the lack of funds coming in because of the long lockdown periods no one was getting any business to be able to afford even staying open part-time Rebecca's income had also come to a screeching halt forcing her to count every penny, cut way back on her recreational spending, no more shopping sprees, no more eating out all day every day, no more having so much money she did not know what to do with it all also forcing her to cut back on how much and how often she was able to continue helping Mindy. That alone hurt Rebecca's heart more than anything else because she knew that Mindy was really needing her help at that time. Heck everybody needed help at that time. Rebecca has always been the type that could not stand to see someone in need or hurting to survive whatever the case may be, so Rebecca always made it a point to lend a helping hand whenever and however she could, and yes that even meant to say that even if it cut herself short or put herself out on something she needed for herself it did not matter to Rebecca. If someone needed something more than Rebecca did she never hesitated to step up and help that person. Rebecca knew that someday there may come a time when she would need someone to care for and help her and if she was stingy and ignored the needs of others when she had it to give and sometimes even if she did not have it to give she always did anyway because one day later down the road something might happen and she might need the help too and if she ignored others karma would surely give her a lesson she really did not want and she too would be desperate and everyone would turn a deaf ear to her cries because that was how she treated them. So she always made it a point to do what she could as much as she could whenever she could. Not for the recognition or the guarantee that someday she would get paid back for all her generosity but because it was the right thing to do as a person as a human being never asking for anything in return just pay it forward someday if you have it and someone else needs it. Anyway. Rebecca had been doing that and helping Mindy like that even through the pandemic just not as much as before. But let me not leave out one crucial element. Once Rebecca's income took a plunge and she was not able to keep up with her lifestyle financially Rebecca found herself staring down the business end of homelessness and living in her car between times * being able to get a motel room for a few days to maybe a week then losing it again due to not being able to keep paying for her room so she was then forced to live and sleep in her car again. Unfortunately, this pattern became so frequent for Rebecca that soon it was just her normal way of life and it really did not bother Rebecca anymore that she was being forced to live like that. This is the crucial element I mentioned. This is where Mindy still somewhat struggling herself stepped up and took Rebecca under her wing, and she opened her home up to Rebecca giving her a warm place to sleep and nap and shower and wash clothes and all of that good stuff that we tend to take for granted not thinking that one day we might not have those luxuries anymore and wishing we had been more appreciative of them when we had them. But since day one of them becoming friends it had always been like that between them anyway. Matter of fact Mindy was the first of them to step up and help out. Let me explain. Mindy and Rebecca only knew each other at this point for just a few days literally when Rebecca was being bullied out of her own apartment by her so-called friend and roommate who forced Rebecca to find somewhere else to crash for the time being until that situation was resolved. Rebecca barely even knows Mindy yet she shows up at Mindy's house all upset and practically in tears over being forced out of her own apartment once Rebecca tells Mindy what happened Mindy is not going for that at all. Mindy immediately tells Rebecca that she is not going anywhere and that she will be staying there until they can get that situation all worked out. Rebecca ended up crashing on Mindy's couch for two solid weeks. The good thing is that Rebecca's roommate was a mutual friend of Mindy and Rebecca and Mindy had just about enough of this other girl's shenanigans anyway so her bullying Rebecca out of her own home was just the straw that broke the camel's back. As it turned out the other girl had a court date that following day at the end of the two weeks that she bullied Rebecca out of her home. So Mindy and Rebecca went to the hardware store and bought Rebecca some new locks for her apartment door and while the other girl was gone for court Rebecca and Mindy went to Rebecca's apartment and kicked all the people the other girl had there with her out and then changed Rebecca's locks locking the other girl out because she did not have the spare key to the new locks because Rebecca had gave the spare key to her mom instead. Shortly after they got the new locks in the other girl comes back from court and can not get in with her key. Mindy took over and explained to the girl that her key no longer worked in the door and her presence was no longer wanted at Rebecca's apartment. Instantly the other girl begins screaming and shouting obscenities and telling Rebecca's neighbors that Rebecca was in there doing illegal drugs and prostituting and demanding she get let into * the apartment to gather her things but all of her stuff had already been bagged up by Rebecca and Mindy and neatly placed outside the door. Needless to say, she did not leave quietly and the police were called. But that backfired on the other girl when the police officer came to Rebecca's door to confirm that Rebecca no longer wanted her there and that she was causing problems with Rebecca and her neighbors. Then the police walked away and made the other girl leave. So you see from the very beginning Rebecca had Mindy's back and Mindy had Rebecca's. They were always there for each other no matter what. But going back to the situation that broke the two girls apart. Rebecca was over at Mindy's house when Mindy's mom asked Rebecca for a ride the following day and Rebecca agreed. The following day Rebecca was supposed to be back at Mindy's by a certain time. However, Rebecca had plans of dying her hair that morning before she had to go back to Mindy's. Unfortunately, Rebecca fell asleep and woke up a couple of hours later and noticed that Mindy had been messaging her telling her to come early. Rebecca did not check her messages until after getting the dye in her hair so she messaged Mindy and explained that she may be a little later than the time she agreed on the day before and that is what started the whole thing that ended up in them not talking anymore, Mindy was upset and blew things way out of proportion telling Rebecca that she never should have said that she could do it if she did not intend on doing it thus for causing a war to break out between them. Then after a few hours of fighting back and forth by text message, Mindy got all judgemental and told Rebecca how wrong she was for living in a motel room forcing her large bullmastiff to live with her in such a small space* and having him live in her car with her too and how it is no life for a large dog to be forced to live like that and she knows Rebecca's situation and why she lives where she lives right then. Of course, that leads Rebecca to have to defend herself. Insults got thrown back and forth. Rebecca having so much to say decided to use speech-to-text instead of taking the time to type it all out in the mix of all of this Rebecca's mom texted her and Rebecca went to respond to her mom also using speech-to-text was telling her mom what was happening and as Google speech-to-text most always does especially if you speak faster than google can listen Google ends up typing something entirely different than what Rebecca actually said and instead of it getting sent to Rebecca's mom it accidentally got sent to Mindy. Well, Mindy does not believe Rebecca when Rebecca is trying to explain what happened Rebecca is fed up with the fighting and insults and everything so she decides to turn around and go back home instead of giving Mindy's mom a ride. Ultimately angering Mindy even more Mindy proceeds to tell Rebecca that she can stay away from her house and never to come back for a while. Rebecca enraged by this tells Mindy that she has nothing to worry about because she has no intentions of ever coming back except to get all of her belongings out of Mindy's shed. And that is the last thing that Mindy and Rebecca have said to each other ever since. so there you see that even the strongest of bonds and friendships can also be thrown away in the blink of an eye all due to a technological error and human temper. So if you take anything away from all of this, take this one thing. Cherish the friends you have, never take them or a single moment for granted, and never for one second think that it will never be the end of an era for you and your friend because even the smallest thing can take everything you value away leaving you with no room for repairs in the end. Words hurt and can never be erased or taken back once they are spoken so always be mindful of what you say and for goodness sake, always proofread those messages and check twice that they are being sent to the correct person before hitting send. You never know it could end up being the end of an era for you too.