May mga taong akala mo kaibigan mo. People you trusted, respected, and genuinely considered part of your life. Pero minsan, bigla ka na lang nilang iiwan. No explanation. No conversation. Not even a simple heads-up.

I have a friend who owns a review center.

I used to teach for his center. But at some point, I was simply no longer included in his teaching team. Walang pasabi. Walang explanation. Basta hindi na lang ako kinuha.

And you know what? That’s perfectly fine.

I understand that running a review center involves making decisions. Maybe I no longer fit the team. Maybe they needed someone else. Maybe the center was moving in a different direction.

I respect that. It’s his business, after all.

Hindi ko alam kung may nagawa akong mali. Did I say something inappropriate? Did I disappoint him? Was there something wrong with my teaching? Or did I unknowingly offend someone?

I honestly don’t know.

And that’s what bothers me.

If I made a mistake, I would have appreciated knowing about it. Not because I wanted to argue or defend myself, but because I believe feedback is important.

I would have wanted to know, even just for self-improvement.

Para kung may pagkukulang ako, maitama ko. Para kung may mali akong nagawa, hindi ko na maulit. And perhaps, as a precaution, so I could avoid making the same mistake with other people.

I can survive without teaching at his review center. I’ve been teaching long enough to know that opportunities come and go. Hindi naman nakasalalay sa isang institution ang worth ko as an educator.

Kasi kung professional relationship lang ito, I would have understood immediately. Business decisions are business decisions.

Pero kapag kaibigan mo ang involved, you naturally expect something more. Not special treatment. Not preferential treatment. Just a little honesty, courtesy, and respect.

A simple conversation would have been enough.

Even a short message saying, “We won’t be getting you this time,” would have made a difference.

Hindi ko naman kailangang piliting kunin niya ako. Hindi ko rin kailangang malaman ang lahat ng dahilan niya.

I just wish I hadn’t been left wondering what went wrong.

Maybe he has his reasons. Maybe there are things I don’t know. Maybe, from his perspective, nothing was wrong at all.

And I respect that possibility.

I’m not angry. I’m just disappointed.

Because losing a teaching opportunity is something I can easily accept.

At the end of the day, I never expected him to hire me simply because we were friends.

I only hoped that our friendship meant enough to deserve a conversation.

You can choose not to work with someone without making that person feel that the friendship meant nothing.

And perhaps that’s the saddest part of this experience.