Fake Friends

I loathe people like this.

These are the kind of people who treat you one way when they're alone with you, but treat you differently when other people are around. They make fun of you behind your back, make fun of you when others are present, then act like a very good friend when you're the only one around. If they're in a position superior to you, whether as a family member, boss, landlord, God forbid if you openly disagree with an opinion of theirs, or if you say or do anything to make them believe you are making them look bad!!!

People like that are not trustworthy.

I've known several people like that in my lifetime. I've just realized this weekend that I'm having to deal with yet another one. I'm going to call this person Danielle. What's bad is that I trusted Danielle to be honest with me. I trusted her to be fair, open-minded, and respectful of my feelings and opinions like I have of her opinions and feelings, even if I disagreed with them. You know, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Danielle professes to be a Christian -- regularly attending church, paying her tithes, studying the bible -- but is a little too quick to lecture people. I'd like to tell Danielle to shut her mouth until she removes the splinters in her eyes and apologize to those who she has hurt, starting with me. I'm not holding my breath, though. She isn't the kind of person to apologize. I have been loyal to Danielle for years and have not betrayed her. Can she say the same about herself? After her behavior toward me for the last five months, the answer to that question is a blatant "no."

I kept giving her the benefit of the doubt, despite what some other people have told me about her: people that went to school with her, people who have befriended her in the past, people who used to work with her at one time or another. The thing that really gets me is when she thinks no one can give her any attitude, but she's quick to give attitude to anyone else who disturbs her version of right and wrong. I keep asking myself what in the world have I done to end up on her sh!t list.

Despite everything, I need to pray for myself to remain above the pettiness of her behavior. I need to pray for Danielle to see the error of her ways and change them before she angers the wrong person and has to deal with the ugly backlash of retaliation.

Meanwhile, I'm keeping my distance from Danielle.