Dear Abby

Dear Abby,
 

A few years ago, I formed a partnership with "friends".  Together we built the largest and most successful square dance club in the region.  Alas, I had loaned thousands of dollars to the venture. The very minute the fledgling enterprise turned profitable, the other partners flat-out stole the club in broad daylight.  They took everything.  They completely defaulted on the debt they owed.  Then they used malicious slander to spread dirty lies and turn hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of so-called "friends" and "fans" against me.  What should I do?

Signed,

Trying To Keep It From Happening to Someone Else

 
 ::

 
Dear Keep It From Happening,

 
Wake up and smell the coffee.  Next time, choose real friends rather than fake ones. 

 
Here's your first clue.  If you ever think that square-dance friends are real, think again. They're not real.  They're fake.  They'll pretend to be your friend ... as long as you pay the bills.  They'll rob you and your spouse while you're out of town.  Live and learn.  You made the mistake of expecting friendship and decency from people who are simply not capable of such qualities.

 
Clue #2:  don't ever loan money to no-good low-down ratfink robbing turncoat cheating swindlers. What were you thinking?  Alarms should have gone off the very minute that people with jobs and/or steady pensions wanted to "borrow" money from a struggling hard-working self-employed entrepreneur.  The signs were all there.  You failed to read them.  You were set up as a robbery victim from the get-go.

 
Now let's talk about how, after a robbery, when you urgently need support and understanding from "professional colleagues", they all side with the robbers.  The explanation is simple.  Other callers are not actually your "friends".  They're your competitors.  They're competing for the same shrinking customer base.  In any competitive arena, your colleagues want just one thing after a robbery.  They want to reach in and grab as much loot as possible, before someone else jumps in and grabs it first.  You expected morality and ethical behavior from people who simply don't have it to give.

 
Here's the saddest part.  Right now, at this very minute, the same low-down cheating swindling ratfink thieving lying slanderous jerks are planning their next robbery.  Yep, believe it.  Someone at today's dance will likely be the next crime victim.  Listen to Abby.  Anyone who willingly associates with known cheaters and swindlers should not act surprised when they find themselves funding the next round of robbery loot.