I don’t know what to think of my cousin. We’ve been close since we were kids and even became the best of friends while attending the university.

This past year, though, I apparently saw her true colors, and it is this persona in my cousin that I find unpleasant and even detestable to be around. You see, I am going through a divorce, and divorces, generally speaking, are unpleasant and difficult in and of themselves. I also had a house and had forced to sell it because my husband turned out to be a money hungry jerk.

Not only was I used and violated by my soon-to-be ex, my cousin also proved to be a very enterprising opportunist of sorts. My cousin’s boyfriend owns a real estate firm and when she found out about my divorce, she pushed herself on me and asked me if she could be of any help. I naively said yes because she was quite aggressive in her pursuit to see that I was well represented in my divorce.

She arranged for my divorce attorney, a close friend of her boyfriend as well as for her boyfriend to assist me in the sale of my estate. As I said earlier, I was reluctant to sell my house. Due to my husband’s greediness and my cousin’s conniving manipulativeness, I was forced to list my house for sale.

During the interim of my divorce and the house sale, my cousin, who I shall call Karen, and I became close again. We would have lunch together, go on trips and excursions together and talk on the phone almost every day, until only recently. My house closed escrow about a week and a half ago. Lo, and behold, my cousin vanished from site. She doesn’t talk to me, doesn’t ask about me and avoids all phone calls and contacts from me.

Oh yes, she is a very enterprising bitch and it wasn’t until the house got sold that I realized that she was only out to use me and milk me for what I was worth. Now that she and her lover made out like cows on my estate, she has no more use for me, that is, until next time, if ever there is a next time in my pursuit of love, happiness and prosperity. My divorce papers aren’t even dry yet and she avoids me and our friendship as though it had never existed to begin with.

All in all, I really HATE being used and manipulated…