I’m Emi Maruyama (31), a mom raising a first-grade boy.
This is something that happened a little while ago. Back then, I became friends at my part-time job with Yukako Hotta, a single mom. But once Yukako quit and our friendship grew closer, she started calling me every day to vent and flooding me with constant messages. Feeling overwhelmed, I asked my sister for advice, and she told me, “She’s completely dependent on you.” That’s when I decided I needed to set boundaries in my relationship with Yukako.
It was something that should have been impossible, but a missing supply was found in the back of my locker… I kept insisting it wasn’t me, and in the end, they accepted my explanation on the condition that I returned the item. But since the evidence had turned up right in front of everyone, that “understanding” was really just for show. The way my coworkers looked at me completely changed. I was overwhelmed by the fear that someone I didn’t even know had set me up… In the end, just a few days later, I made the decision to quit my part-time job.