If someone wanted to ignore you, they easily could. They would act as if they didn’t see or recognize you.
There may be many reasons for their behavior. They may be ashamed of being associated with you, could have moved up the ladder, believed themselves to have become superior to you, or didn’t like you in the first place- and the friendship was a simulated one, for gaining some kind of benefit.
I saw Shashank in Bangalore, and was happy to see an old friend. Rarely do I get to visit the Garden City and fortuitously I had a chance to catch up with a childhood buddy- from back in high school.
As I went near him, I noticed him seeing me, but hesitant to meet my eyes. I wanted to believe that it was a coincidence but it surely was not one. The evidence was staring me right in the face.
He could have made an excuse, that he was busy or had to be somewhere or had some work to take care of. And it would have been fine. I just wanted to say hello.
But he chose to act as if he didn’t know me altogether. I could have moved ahead, acted as if I didn’t care either; or feigned a response of not recognizing him.
But I suddenly felt that this had to end. I confronted him and told him that I knew, unmistakably, that he was ignoring me, and that he didn’t have to worry about meeting me again.
The scene could have been avoided. The bitterness could have been done without. But he needed to know. And I needed to feel like it had ended.
No loose ends.
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