After Caroline told me the whole story, I called a cab for her. I, too, insisted on going with her, but she refused. At one point, I felt relief that I still had time to make it to my meeting, and on the other hand, I felt like a total selfish loser who only cared about herself.
Caroline somehow knew what I was thinking and tried to lessen my guilt as she consoled me, "Hey, it's not your fault. I was the one who hid things."
Her consoling did the total opposite thing.
Instead of decreasing my guilt, it grew more. I gulped down the lump formed in my throat and tried to reply in my hoarse voice, "But I am your friend. I should have known."
I took a deep breath, almost losing my composure. My eyes started to burn like crazy.
Caroline reached forward and grabbed my hand across the table. Her grip was warm, firm, and desperate. "Stop blaming yourself, okay? You already have enough going on. I didn't want to dump my mess on you too."
