My mother taught me to believe that people mean well, but life has shown me something completely different…
A few years ago, a new employee came to work for us. Mark was the youngest of all, but he was very sociable and got along with everyone.
One day, it happened that we both had to stay late and finish the reports. We got to talking and it turned out that he lived not far from me, so he gave me a ride. After that, I often started going to and from work with him, and we could go for coffee or to the supermarket. Over time, we became real friends and started visiting each other’s families. We were comfortable with each other, so none of us were shy and we shared our requests and could ask for help.
It happened before his summer vacation. He came to me with a story about how he had planned a family trip to the sea, but lacked the money. He promised to pay me back with his next paycheck. I lent him the money without hesitation, because we were good friends and worked together, so there shouldn’t have been any problems.
Then he came back to work from vacation and the long-awaited payday arrived. That day, everything was as usual. We went home, talked, and then said goodbye. I was in no hurry to remind him about the money, I didn’t want to embarrass him. I decided that he would soon withdraw it from the card and return it tomorrow. But neither the next day nor the day after did my colleague mention it. I decided to remind him myself, because maybe something had happened to him and he was ashamed to admit it.
When Mark heard that I was asking him when he would return the money, he rounded his eyes in surprise: “What are you talking about? Why should I return your money? I’ve already worked for it!”
I was so surprised by his answer that I was silent for a minute, and then he noticed and decided to continue: “Can you count how many times I gave you a ride home? How many times did you ask me for advice or help? Did you really think that I would do all this because I wanted to? No! You have to pay for everything in this world!”
– So you are friends only for money?
– No, I’m friends with you because I like you as a person. But if you want me to return your money, you should know that my help is not free. Consider that you paid me for the gasoline I used to drive you home.
After that, we never talked again. Mark was still waiting for me at the car that day, but I decided that I would rather take the bus.
After that, my eyes were opened to the fact that not all people are good, so now I will choose my surroundings more carefully.
Which of the two people do you think is wrong?
