Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Frenemy (02/13/25)
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TITLE: Rose | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
02/18/25 -
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You’re probably wondering, as I did, what happened to make Rose so angry that day. Let me share my story with you…..
June 1974 my husband graduated from seminary and we had accepted our first pastorate in Staten Island, NY. We were excited about this new role and eagerly looked forward to our move. Two weeks after graduation we packed our car with some essentials and took off for the long trip from Chicago to Staten Island. My husband, myself, three boys ages eleven, eight and six-weeks, and my parents. We left on a Thursday, arrived at our new home on Friday. Spent Saturday unpacking while my husband prepared a message for Sunday.
Knowing no one in the area, I immediately started looking for who might be a friend to me. I was introduced to Rose, a woman eight years older than me with a 20 year old daughter and she was pregnant. Because I had a new baby, somehow she was drawn to me and together we walked through her difficult pregnancy together. Six months later she delivered a healthy baby boy. Thus began a unique friendship between Rose and myself and Erik and Doug.
As the boys grew they became inseparable. Even as infants they played together. Rose was my best friend and I loved her.
Nine years later something happened which caused Rose to unfriend me. I remember the event well. I had gone to church that Sunday morning happy and cheerful. As I walked into the church building I spotted Rose. I immediately went over to say hello. She saw me coming and walked away.
“What the heck”, I thought. “What’s wrong with Rose today?”
After the service I tried again to approach Rose and the same thing happened. She wanted nothing to do with me.
Confused and hurt I decided I needed to find out what I might have done wrong to offend her. I went over to her home on Monday to talk with her. I rang the doorbell and after a few minutes Rose answered.
“What do you want?” She asked gruffly.
“Can I come in for a minute. We need to talk.”
“About what? I have nothing to say to you.”
“Please Rose, just a few minutes,” I begged.
She opened the door and let me in. I began by asking her what I had done to make her avoid me in church on Sunday. I wanted to apologize for that wrong.
Silence.
“Rose, please talk to me. I don’t recall anything that might have upset you. What did I do?”
Silence.
Seeing I was getting nowhere in this, I said, “Rose, I’m sorry for whatever it is I have done to you. Can you forgive me?”
“Just keep your son away from my son,” said an angry Rose.
“What? Why?”
“I don’t want them to be together anymore, period.”
I looked at her stunned, a million thoughts running through my mind. I nodded my head, picked up my purse and left.
Thus ended our friendship.
Try to explain this to a child who loved his best friend without passing judgment on the mom. Although Doug didn’t understand all I was telling him he simply asked, “Can Erik and I still see each other when we go to Sunday School?”
I assured him that church was a safe place to see his best friend.
“Good,” stated Doug
Fast forward a year later. Rose and I attended the same Women’s Retreat together. The speaker chose as her text for the Saturday night session John 13:35, ‘….love one another as I have loved you.’ It was a powerful message on love and the need to treat others as Jesus would.
After the session was over, Rose came over to me, grabbed me in a bear-hug, started crying and said, “Marilyn, can you forgive me. I was so wrong.”
Already forgiven.
A friendship was renewed that day, but trust had been broken. I never did know what caused the breakup. I never asked again, and she never volunteered any information.
She passed away without my ever knowing.
Erik and Doug have been best friends for the past fifty-one years.
Story is fiction
Scripture from ESV
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However, for your sake, I'm pleased to know that this one is fictional.