Since high school, Lori and I have been great friends and can’t live without each other. Ben and Keith, our husbands, have become good friends, which has made our group very close. We spend a lot of holidays and birthdays together, making memories that will last a lifetime.
In one of these celebrations, Benjamin and I had a strange talk that made me think about making a hard choice. Benjamin told Lori a secret that was hard to figure out because he was clearly drunk: he had been hiding bottles from her.
I became interested and asked for more details. Benjamin’s unclear answers made my worries worse. I was afraid Benjamin might be covering something bad because I knew Lori had a hard time with her alcoholic father in the past.
I told Keith because I was torn between being loyal to my friend and the bad things that might happen if I kept the secret. He told me to talk to Lori about my worries and stressed that I would feel bad if I didn’t if something went wrong.
During a walk the next morning, I told Lori what Benjamin had said. I was surprised by how calm she was, but I could tell she was uncomfortable.
The following day, Lori texted me, “You saved my life.” This made the truth start to come out. She said that when she got home, their house was full of gas because the stove wasn’t turned off.
Lori’s search took her to the linen cabinet, where she found old perfume bottles and other expensive items that had been marked. Benjamin’s secret was finally out: he had been buying and selling these things to send Lori on an anniversary trip to Paris as a surprise.
Benjamin showed how much he loves Lori by doing something kind. At first, I felt bad for giving away the surprise, but I knew that talking about my worries was the right thing to do.
In the end, our friends’ friendship got stronger, and their dream of living in Paris came true. Keith and I still love being friends with Lori and Benjamin, and we often wonder if they’ll ask us to join them on their next journey.
