The Chronic Canceller & The Red Heart Emoji

Priya has a best friend who has cancelled on her eleven times this year. Eleven. Not in a lifetime — since January. The text lands about ninety minutes before, and it always says the same thing: ugh, I'm so sorry, today got away from me. Red heart emoji. Let's for sure do it soon. Soon never comes.

Joseph gets into why she started counting in March, and what it means that she did — nobody builds a case file on a relationship that's working. Why "I thought you of all people would understand" isn't an apology, it's a promotion, to a title that comes with no dinners and no birthdays. And the uncomfortable turn: she isn't weighing you against better plans and picking them. She has learned, across eleven documented occasions, that cancelling on you is free.

Plus a self-own, because Joseph says yes to everything with his whole chest — the event is far away, and future Joseph is not his problem.

Busy people cancel once and reschedule immediately, because they want the thing. At a certain point "I'm so sorry" stops being an apology and becomes a subscription, and you're the one paying for it.

Got a mess of your own? Send it to info@jeopublishing.com.

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