Sheep in the Road

9
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Apples, Cheese
and a Red Wedge
Friends,
you probably never choose them, they come with
school, a job, your social networking, a chance encounter.
Most come and go in their own time, sometimes leaving
you with ‘a wonder what’s happened to him or her?’ as
they slip under a hedge. Usually its a two-way thing until
something is said … There are some who stay the course,
accepting your fluctuations and flatulance because they
actually like you, and you them, but these associations are
rare.
I have had a few ‘friends’ who are no longer ‘friends’. Their
flaws made obvious by that unique defence mechanism
we all have, the one that reasons it out for us in our favour
so that we don’t get hurt ... just thinking about them with
this filter in place makes me question my judgement in
these matters … am I that naive?
One was a school friend who I managed to relocate with
the help of the internet, remembering and pleased to be in
contact with ‘Apples’ again I forgot what almost 40 years of
conditioning can do, and the fact that I only knew him for 6
months in 1964. It soon became apparent that other than
our friendship all those years ago we now had nothing in
common. After a couple of friendlies he then took liberties
and sent me emails edged with sexism and racism. On
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