You should not compete with your friends and ruin your relationship with them. The friendship of Chris and Tom is probably a good example that should convince you of this. If you didn’t know Chris and Tom personally, you might think they were brothers as one was never seen without the other. It was thought that nothing on earth could break their impeccable bond, or that was what everyone assumed.

Chris and Tom had progressed from being classmates to college roommates and then colleagues at work. They had always brought out the best in each other and, therefore, remained the high achievers of their class throughout school and college.

When they entered professional life, they went to great lengths to ensure they would both get a job in the same company. Once, they started their job, it soon became clear to everyone around them how hardworking they were. They both worked incredibly hard in hopes of a promotion. The post that they both had their eyes on was of senior manager, which was currently occupied by Mr Adams.

Mr Adams was nearing retirement, hence it was Chris’ and Tom’s favourite pastime to ponder over the possibility of them getting the post after Mr Adams had retired.

One fine day, Joe, their boss entered the office and announced in his loud, booming voice that Mr Adams had fallen sick and thus had taken early retirement. He then looked towards Chris and Tom standing in the corner and said, “The board has recommended that one of you should be chosen for the post based on next month’s performance,”

After saying this, Joe went to his room and closed the door behind him. Amid congratulations from their colleagues, Tom and Chris also congratulated each other with a smile that was quite fake. When they walked back to their desks, they both decided that they would do anything to get this promotion.

This incident had made both friends forget how close they were to each other, and how important their friendship was to them throughout their lives.

Within a week, everyone in the office could feel tension looming in the air whenever Tom and Chris were in the same room. Slowly, this silent war between Chris and Tom progressed to a full-on war. Tom’s work files had mysteriously disappeared from his computer, while Chris found his account hacked. It was quite obvious that both of them were trying very hard to sabotage each other. It was in the fourth week after Joe’s announcement that everything became out of control.

Near the end of the fourth week, Tom was due to give an important presentation to the head of a marketing agency. But on the morning of the big day, he busted into the office, red-faced and headed straight toward Chris. Tom grabbed him by the neck and started punching Chris. Tom accused Chris of deleting his big presentation the night before as Tom’s mother had told him that Chris had come in the evening to meet him. Since he was out, Chris said that he would wait in Tom’s room and since then Tom’s files had been missing.

Chris, instead of saying anything in his defence, laughed in Tom’s face and started fighting him back. The two of them were separated by the guards and sent home for the day.

The next day, when they both came to work, they glared at each other with hatred in their eyes; however, as they were about to set foot in the office, Joe walked towards them with a grave face and handed them each a letter after which he silently left.

They gave each other a quick stare and ripped open the letters. The letters were like bombs dropped on them, because they were termination letters. The board had decided to fire them both as their behaviour throughout the month was unacceptable and their fight the day before was truly unethical.

As they walked out of the office, both of them realised that they had not only lost their job, but their precious friendship as well.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 7th, 2023