When is the right time to let a relationship end? (Opinion)

Photo byAnastasiia Rozumna on Unsplash

Recently I ended a friendship forever.

There will be no further interaction.

It is finished!

I met this person when I began working there in 2016. No one there got along with her — that should have been clue #1. But in an effort to give everyone a fair chance, I did not take sides.

The ‘work friendship’ developed slowly. She would ask me to come in 30 minutes earlier so that she could go off to her second job. No one else at the current job would do her any favors, she had burned all her bridges, so she grabs onto the new person.

This went on for a few years, the other employees were always telling me not to help her, but I ignored them. There is a rabid past with others on the job as she likes to be the head one in charge of others — she must be the one running the show.

We have butted heads a few times, she sulks but eventually comes around because she needs me so she has to concede. This lady has had two full-time nurse jobs since 2016 as far as I know. Then three years now she has added a third one. One day job and two overnight night jobs.

That is three full-time jobs.

At the current employer, we share she primarily works on weekend days and on Monday nights. The second nursing job she works is Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. So, each weekend day she presents to work she is tired. I often do most of the heavy workload as a way to help her out (not because I am stupid, I wanted to help her out).

What she was apparently seeing was a fool!

I knew that I was being used, but I allowed it because I knew that she was older and I wanted to assist her in any way so she could make some extra money and get herself together for her retirement.

But one day without warning, she betrayed my trust and slapped my hand. I ended up feeling so used and abused. She even told me to my face that I was stupid. And she acted as if she was superior to me after she said that.

I made a decision to end our association forever. And I am no longer her friend.

Many acts of kindness never seem to end well. Someone always seems to get taken. And the ones(s) you endeavor to help many times seem to use your kindness as a weakness against you.

Please share your experience about a time(s) when you felt used...