"Are You a F-ing Idiot?"

Peerless Reader! Should a man be allowed to come between two good friends?

Dear E. Jean:

I’ve been good friends with M since college, 23+ years.

She’s single, smart, and very successful in her career.  I’m married, with two kids, and at the top of my game as a project manager. We live about 300 miles apart. I send her a Christmas gift every year, and make an effort to lunch with her when I’m in town.

We’ve traveled together, but the last few years we haven’t been as close. There have been times when she hurt my feelings and I didn't speak up. I know she’s attended work conferences that are within a short driving distance of me, but didn't tell me so I could meet her for dinner or drinks. 

We come from the same high school, same college, same middle class background, but our paths have forked. We still text occasionally, but we once had hilarious marathon phone conversations to catch up. And so, E. Jean, you now know our little history. We were children and we grew into women together and I’ve tried to maintain the relationship.

The problem?

Last weekend, I texted her to meet for lunch as my husband and I were in town.  As usual, lunch was over three hours, catching up. I was regaling her with recent travel adventures and, just let me admit, I get very animated when I tell a story. 

She shushed me!!

She said the people at the table behind were “glancing at us,” when I was demonstrating the antics I had endured on my trip. I brushed it off and said, "Oh, who cares? They’re laughing too,” and went on with my story.  A little time passed and we cashed out the bill.

As we walked the couple of blocks to the parking lot, she suddenly asked: “How many illegals do you have in your area?” She told me twenty thousand illegals had “invaded” her area.

I was caught off guard and said, "...Uh...no. Migrants pass thru our area looking for opportunities elsewhere. They don’t linger where we are. Very few jobs. I’ve been looking into how we can help since [Redacted local politician] has been inciting violence against them.”

She goes, "Oh! That’s all BS, made up stuff!" 

I said, "Oh, ok."

I truly didn't know about this guy beyond the headlines, really.

She then continues, "Just like what they’re doing to Trump." 

You know that sound when a needle rips across a record and the speakers pick it up?

I was spinning through my Rolodex of appropriate answers, flipping back and forth, looking for the right reply, and failed. My brain was racing and I kept saying,   "Oh-dear-another-one-WTF... illegals? Is she serious? Walk away!"

I actually said something like, "Are you a f-ing idiot?" and, well,