This is about a lesson I learnt after lending money to a once close friend.

When he borrowed some money from me, he said he would pay me next week. I believed him. It wasn’t much, just a few thousand rupees. But it was enough to break something between us. At first, I thought he forgot. Then I thought he didn’t care. Weeks turned into months, and the matter seemed to slip into oblivion.

Every time I saw him, it felt strange. Like there was an invisible wall between us. He would joke, I would laugh, but there was some discomfort among us. The ease we had was ruined. I missed the days when none of this mattered.

I stopped asking after a while. He too stopped pretending to remember. Things changed. I couldn’t trust him again. He is still my friend, but it’s not the same anymore. A tight knot formed in the silk thread. And when I look back, I wonder – was it worth it? Lending him money to lose him forever?

Some people say friendship is priceless. I don’t think I’ll completely agree. And that was not the first time I lost someone to money. I think I should stop lending.