On Radio Silence

Reflections on Unrequited Friendship

A few weeks ago, I reached out to an old friend, someone I haven't spoken to in a while. I needed a favor—nothing big, just a small ask that shouldn't have taken more than a couple minutes of their time. I sent the message, waited for the response, and... nothing.

Radio silence.

The longer the silence stretched, the more my mind filled in the blanks. Was …