I’m Emi Maruyama, 31, a mom raising a first-grade boy. This is a story from a little while ago. Back then, I became friends with Yukako Hotta, a single mom I met at my part-time job. After she quit and we grew closer as friends, Yukako started calling me almost every day and sending messages all the time. One night, I wasn’t feeling well and left my phone aside before going to bed. The next morning, I found countless missed calls and messages from her saying she had “reached her limit.”
My sister saw right through my personality—that I couldn’t just leave Yukako alone. I was glad I could talk to her, because she pointed things out clearly. If Yukako really has a history of treatment, it’s better to leave it to the hospital, and if something serious happened, I couldn’t take responsibility. From now on, just like my sister said, I’ll keep my involvement with Yukako to a level that won’t ruin me. I know I also played a part in letting her become dependent on me. I realized I need to change first, and draw a clear line with her. The next time we meet, I plan to tell Yukako how I honestly feel.