Kindness In The Shadows, Betrayals In The Light: When Strangers Save You and Friends Betray You.

in Hive Learners12 hours ago

Life always has it way of intertwining moments of unexpected kindness and shocking betrayals into our stories, leaving us imagining. My own journey holds vivid instances of both, this instances gave me different orientation, they now shape how I view people and relationships. A time in my life, I was hospitalized, it was a dark chapter in my life. I had been dealing with an illness that drained my strength and my families finances. It was bad enough being sick, but what made it worse was the crushing realization that they could no longer afford my treatment.

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I had done several surgeries and then the doctor came again thats theres the need to do another, one that came with a hefty price tag. Aside the surgery cost, there was a long list of items I had to purchase. My parents were already in enough debt, everyone has tried his/her best. I lay on my hospital bed that day, staring at the ceiling and feeling like I was at the end of the road. It’s one thing battling illness, but it’s another to be completely hopeless and out of answers or solutions.

Just then, out of nowhere, life threw one of its good side at me, a lifeline. Someone, a complete stranger had come to the hospital to give financial aid to some of the patients. Honestly, I didn’t think much of it. I had the idea that help wasn’t for people like me or that the hospital would be the one to choose who to assist or that they would just divert the money to their own pocket and only give little crumbs to the patients. But to my shock, it wasn't like that, an envelope was handed over to my brother who was sitting next to me that evening. When it was handed over, we just stared, lost for words. Inside the envelope was an amount that nearly covered my pending medical bills. Tears rolled down my face uncontrollably.

But that wasn’t all, the next day, one of my doctors came around day, walked to my bedside with a bag. He dropped the bag, checked my pulse and all, then told me that he's sorry he couldn't do more, I was too weak to sit up, I just laid down waiting for my brother who had gone to freshen up, he returned, asked about the bag and i told him how it came about, he opened it, lo and behold, the bag contains most of the things I was asked to purchase for the surgery, bandages, medications and other materials. I was stunned. I couldn’t even speak. All I could do was cry and just pray for him. How could people who didn’t owe me anything show me such kindness? It was like seeing light after being in darkness for so long. The doctor was someone I was not expecting such from, he's too frank when speaking and hardly shows sympathy. I saw that goodness still exists in the world and sometimes in the most unexpected places.

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But life, as well all know, it(life) loves to balance things, you experience life's good side, then you must definitely experience its other side too.
I once had a friend, Tunji(not his real name). Tunji was the kind of person who seemed too good to be true. Always smiling, always helpful, always acting like he had my back. I thought of him as one of my closest friends. And I did trust him. During a rough time in my life, I confided in him about everything, what I am going through, why I am being distant from people, my fears, who I couldn't further my education, my secret struggles and all, I thought I was safe with him.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. One day, I went to greet him, upon getting to his place, he was outside with his friends, they were strangers to me, we exchangesd pleasantries and all, he introduced me and immediately one of them just burst out, " ohhh, this is that your friend you talked about, who's having this and that, and as if I had been a topic, I almost thought it was a mistake, but almost everyone there had something to say about me, more stories came out things that were only between me and Tunji. He had taken the most vulnerable parts of me, those things I confide in him, he turned them into exaggerated gossip. I felt betrayed in a way I can’t fully describe, not just about the gossip, but the realization that someone I trusted so deeply could do that.

When I confronted him. He laughed it off, saying, “It’s not that deep. Why are you taking it so seriously?” That response seems to hurt me much more than what he did, and that was the end of it, the friendship we shared, the trust I had in him and all, that was the end.

That betrayal stayed with me for a long time. I question everyone around me, I had a hard time opening up to someone. But, I already learnt, not everyone deserves access to your heart, not everyone you think is kind truly is. Some people wear masks so convincing that it takes a painful experience to see their true self/real face.

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Those two experiences taught me how life could be so unpredictable. Kindness can come from the most unlikely places, while hurt can come from those you least expect. Both shaped me, forced me to grow and to never lose faith even when faced with its(life)darker sides. Because at the end of the day, it’s these highs and lows, these experiences are all what comes together to shape us, build us, push us to be more wiser, stronger and wiser.

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 12 hours ago  

It's rare to see doctors do such things for a patient. You were really lucky and they are indeed good people in this world

 11 hours ago  

Very rare, I couldn't believe it too.
And yes,there are.

Thanks for stopping by.