A Cancer Upon The Friendship

(My best friend has a terrible habit of letting the guy she’s dating get in the way of our friendship. We’ve been friends for so long that when she starts having an on-again, off-again relationship with a friend of mine long-distance [they met at my wedding, where they snuck off to have sex before the cake was cut, and they live in different states] and the cycle starts up again, I am just going to let it slide like I always do. But then this happens…)

Me: “So the doctor called with my results. It’s not good.”

Friend: “Oh, no.”

Me: “Yeah. It’s cancer. I’m having surgery next month, then radiation.”

Friend: “Okay, so, I’m going to take some time off work and come stay with you, then.”

Me: “We’ll blow up the air mattress. Thank you.”

Friend: “Of course! What, like I’m not going to be there when my best friend of twelve years has surgery? I’ll see what I can do for your radiation, too.”

(The day before my surgery, she calls.)

Friend: “Is [Town] close to you?”

Me: “It’s about 20 minutes away by car. Why?”

Friend: “That’s where my hotel is.”

Me: “Wait, hotel? I thought you were stay with us?”

Friend: “No, [Sometimes Boyfriend] and I got a hotel room since we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Me: “Oh…”

Friend: “He’s taking me out to dinner tonight, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

(She wound up staying in the hotel with him all four days she’d arranged to have off. She came to see me off for the surgery but was gone when I came out of it and never called or came to visit after that. I found out later via her boyfriend that they’d been holed up in the room having sex the entire time, except for the one time he had to work — my surgery. I stopped being friends with her shortly after and haven’t spoken to her in over a year. So much for twelve years of friendship!)