My friendly ghost
Inspired by Christine Stevens’ “Have You Been Ghosted By An Old Friend?”
Two months ago, during a conversation on urgent matter with very dear friends, one of whom is my friend from before you, your name came up.
Since then I’ve been dreaming about you, dreams where you show up, in a hotel, in a room, at a conference, at a dinner: talk to me or pass quickly without seeing me or saying hello.
And I started to worry about you, about what happened to you to become a ghost to me, and maybe to other of your friends. I hope you are alive and well; so well that you forgot about us.
I got really rich when we worked together. You, even more than you already were.
You lived far away, but you always came, every fortnight, sometimes every ten days, stayed here for three days, sometimes for up to a week.
I heard that you had or have had a house in the Americas, but, it seems to me, you lived and still live in Europe; I never knew where, but we were meeting and with our friends at the company’s main headquarters. I also remember these meetings with affection and joy. They are part of my good memories.
And, at that time, you would come to my house, have dinner or a drink, we would talk about so many things… you would tell stories of your already long journey concerning mine, even if you were younger than me. Delicious chats that are part of your ghostly presence in my dreams, and in awake memories.
After we ended our adventure together, you never responded to my messages again, and they came back with “non-existent address”, your phone numbers that I had, didn’t exist anymore.
I looked for our employees by then, more friends of ours than employees, asking for news of them, asking them to send me your contacts. They replied that you had paid them what they deserved and that you no longer answered them, they did not know your whereabouts, but that it seems that you had retired to a yacht, from where you would leave only for important meetings or appointments; they didn’t know where to or why for. Assumptions I thought and still find unlikely: fantasies they believed in, or excuses for not telling me the truth.
After all, little ghost, what happened? Can you answer me?
I don’t remember ever failing you, never offending you.
In the beginning of ourcompanionship you used to congratulate me on the successes I brought to our small business, a business that, under your guidance and command, grew, oppened many branches in Europe and East and, me too, I became rich. We were offered to buy a factory; you had contact with a strong group interested in buying its production, sent a technic an economic team to visit it, confirmed theyr interest, we bought it.
And you always helped me, with advice and, even more, when gave me the opportunity and resources to act to protect myself and my family, an action that did, in short, even saved my life!
You always wanted to help me. Until you made a decision, which I said I didn’t agree with, but I ended up agreeing; a decision that ended up preventing you from continuing to be able to help me.
When the factory, for several reasons, went into trouble, you could no more give me the help I know you tried to. I used all and any money and assets I had on capital to save it, to no avail. But I am alive!
And I was wrong; your decision was excellent for the company and you. As far as I know, from that embryo you created so many successful others that I don’t even understand how you can have the time and energy to lead each one and, what’s more, coordinate the entire group!
You’ve always been honest to me and with our friends; when they decided or had to leave, you honnoured them and yourself granting’em a just sum of monney. Even if they deny, I suspect that, they and you continued to have contact, at least for one or two years more. I cannot understand why not with me. Can you tell me why?
I wish now you could materialize, go back to being my friend as before and always, mainly now.
I don’t know if you can still, but I think so.
I keep waiting for your answer; for now, you remain my friendly ghost.
Do you ever have dreamed of me?