Uneasy Introductions
Her initial shock morphed into quick introductions, her voice strained under a veneer of politeness. “This is my friend,”
she said, the word friend heavily weighted with hidden layers. I nodded, exchanging pleasantries while feeling the undercurrent of tension in our exchange.
Beneath the surface, currents of suspicion swirled, each second passing building the unspoken barrier between what was and what pretended to be.