“Manahil, you must simply not mingle with Sarah,” my mum told me patiently.

“But why?” I asked confused.

“Remember, Manahil, some friends are best to be kept at a distance and I feel it is not right that you should mingle too much with Sarah. So it is better to limit your friendship,” my mum advised me and left the room, leaving me lost in my thoughts.

Sarah was my best friend. She was a couple of years older than me and we went to school in the same van and sat together. We did everything together. Although we were separated in the school due to the different classes, we had a very strong bond between us. I trusted her blindly and we both were always there for each other. When either of us had any problem, we shared it with each other and found comfort with the other. In short, Sarah was like an elder sister to me.

I did not agree with my mother and continued to hang out with Sarah. I wondered how can Sarah, the person who cared for me the most in school, not be right for me. Thus, I did not listen to my mum’s advice.

We both were in afternoon shift so when Sarah cleared her next class exam, she was transferred to the senior classes in morning shift while I still was in the afternoon.

After two horrible years without her, when I finally got promoted to the senior section, I found a great difference in her attitude. She did not speak as cheerfully as she once did. In fact she hardly noticed me, which was terrible.

I remembered my mother’s advice but Sarah had been so good to me that I could not believe this change of attitude.

But of course that advice was correct and I realised it the day Sarah and I fought. It was simply a dreadful quarrel which left me weeping like anything. I could not imagine Sarah would be cruel and insensitive towards me. All my dreams seem to be broken into bits. I could not bring myself up to believe this.

After the quarrel, when we came across each other, we would turn our faces in the opposite direction. She even badmouthed me amongst her classmates by telling them some made-up stories.

I now could see that my mum had been so right. I should have obeyed her. It would have saved my name from being tarnished by her. I now see that not everyone is your true friend even though they apparently seem to be.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 20th, 2019