The moment I heard the sad news that my best friend had been arrested is the moment I felt like the world is not sweet anymore. After learning the truth behind his arrest, I understood that he was guilty and supposed to be where he is. It has been 3 years without meeting up with my best friend because he stays far from me. The last time I went to visit him was in December 2019. We really had fun that time because it was time for Christmas and New Year. After then, we were just communicating through the phone. A lot went on as we were growing up that we could not find more time to chat due to responsibilities that we both have.
In 2022, I realized that there was a huge change in the way we were communicating. Five months could pass without even saying hello to each other. However, I could take it as if it was normal since we were all busy with our personal lives. My conscience told me that I should check on my best friend since it had been a long time without talking. When I called, his number was unreachable. Since I have his wife’s phone number I called her to find out what happened.
What my friend’s wife told me was very surprising to me. She told me that she no longer stays with my friend and they divorced a long time ago. I was very shocked to hear this news from her. I never bothered to ask her the reasons why they are not together to avoid causing her double pain by making her remember the tragic moments they went through and sharing this news. In my mind, I told myself that I need to visit my best friend to find out what has been going on. Unfortunately, I did not manage to visit him then because the money that I could use for transportation covered other things at home. However, I was saving some money to go and see him this coming April.
More sad news came to me that my best friend was arrested for producing fake money. I could not believe it and decided to witness it myself. I didn’t wait to see him April but I just decided to go and visit him in the prison. When I reached there, I was very shocked to see how my friend who used to be fat became very thin in an unimaginable way. The police gave me ten minutes to talk to him but I made use of that time to ask him the truth behind his arrest. He agreed that he did produce fake money. I was super disappointed in him since I was not expecting to have a friend who was a criminal.
I asked him about his wife, but he lied to me that they are still together. It felt to me like he was feeling shy for me to know that he messed up. With the way our friendship was, I could not believe that he could do something like that. There was a time when we shared secrets without hiding anything from each other. The time that he decided to get married, I was the only person he told that he was going to elope instead of a civil marriage. I told him the truth, that I had spoken to his wife and she told the truth about their divorce. I did not have much to say. I was just shedding tears wondering why he decided to engage himself in a behavior that ruined his life. I stood up and went back home. I hope my best friend learns from his mistakes and when he comes out of prison, he is a completely changed person.
14 March, 2023
