What will you do if you have a best friend, already married, and is having marital problems? He insists in making you a pillar of strength even if you are in doubt whether you want to take on that role. Whenever you talk to him, he opens up and pours out his weaknesses and how he ought to just kill himself because he cannot act like a father should. And you are all tired of negating whatever harmful things he thinks he ought to do.

What will you do?

I am a good friend. Not because I am kind and all. It’s just that I believe in karma, that’s why. I am a good friend because I want to have good friends in return. And I can say that I do have some really good friends. Especially those from high school… and two from college.

I do not want to be a bad friend, most especially to a really close bud. But I am tired of everything. Don’t get me wrong, I love my best buds. The other one does not bother me with marital problems yet. He’s getting married soon. While the other one…

I just realized that maybe because I am used to seeing men like my dad, I am uncomfortable with the kind of setup I currently have with best bud no. 2. I don’t like it at all. I don’t like to always remind him to be strong for the kids, to not give up on the wife, to just hold on to the family and not harm himself. I particularly hate stopping him from leaving his family. I really hate it! It’s a sign of weakness and I hate it that a father can think of abandoning his family for whatever reason.

Now I am resorting to going invisible whenever he’s online. I hardly reply to his text messages.

And this afternoon, I cringed at a message I received from him. He’s asking if I am mad at him and if so, he does not want it to happen because I am the only one left that he can lean on.

I really don’t like it at all.

If you are in my position, what would you do?