I was assigned to take over a branch which was having troubles. I had a long conversation with one of the managers in the branch & talked about how we could move forward. She told me she would stay to support me to turn the branch around. I trusted her.
Then the following week, she tendered her resignation to join a competitor. Telling me that she couldn’t stay anymore for she feared she will fail again here. But the message I received was, she didn’t have the faith in me.
That moment, I was angry & sad at the same time. But mostly I felt betrayed. She said she would stay & I trusted her.
I held on that feeling of anger and betrayal for the longest time.
Then one day, the news announced that the price of cigarette is going to increase to RM12 per box. I remembered she once told me she will quit once the cigarette price hits above RM10.
I picked up my phone & after a long silence between us, I texted her, “Hey, ciggies going to be RM12, time to quit!”
She replied, “Hahahahaha…. you remembered!”
There was this sense of relief when I read her reply.
That moment, I no longer feel angry nor sad. We continued to exchange texts the whole night and the day after. There was this peace & calmness came to me. And that was when I learnt the importance of forgiveness.
Wounds will close and heal.
Bimbo
P.S. Fast forward to 2022 with the price of cigarettes increased by another 42%, that woman is still smoking like a chimney.
