Member-only story
THE NARRATIVE ARC
My Friend Ghosted Me and I’m Left Wondering Why
To let go, or pursue answers?
I was out with Kim and a mutual friend when someone suggested a girls’ weekend in Austin. Three days of wining, dining, and letting loose in a new city.
The following week I looked into possible places to stay and sent them links to hotel options, with a note saying “Let’s do this!”
Crickets.
I didn’t hear from them for a week. Finally, Marion, with whom I was less close, called to say “Kim wants you to know she can’t go away right now, things are too busy.” I hung up feeling mortified. The two of them clearly discussed how to let me down easy. I was also a little confused. We were all into the idea — what changed?
I got no answer because Kim never followed up with me. We met over twenty years ago when she was my manager at work, but it always felt like a relationship of equals. She was the client whisperer, her calm strength reassuring even the most exacting customers.
We commiserated when things got tough and had each other’s backs, working side by side late into the night. Somewhere along the way, a genuine friendship formed, and the two of us hung out long after I left the company.
