Know Your Enemy

Until he lied and threw me to the wolves to cover his own ass, I'd never really thought of him as an enemy. Eccentric and a little weird, yes.  Sometimes bizarre, yes.  Arrogant, temperamental, hot headed and about some things not too bright, yes.  A bully and a two faced coward who turned hostile and mocking when he didn't get his way, yes.  Always prepared to evade responsibility, yes.  A clown but not an enemy.

In retrospect, I should've seen it coming and been better prepared but the lie was big, bold, convincingly told and effective.  It was, I realized too late, a well planned and perfectly executed set up.  The enemy - a far slicker bastard than I'd ever imagined - was elevated to hero and I cursed my own stupidity for my part in it. So be it, I told myself, at least now I know what I'm dealing with and I can make sure it doesn't happen again. 

I've met my quota of forgive and forget.