Act I: The Quick Hello
They’re the first to say hello. Their friendliness feels flattering at first—warm, energetic, almost too good to be true. They want to be friends quickly, and usually on their terms. Before long, the pattern shows: there’s always a payoff. A favour asked. An introduction needed. Something for them, or for their family. The speed of it all becomes the red flag. It isn’t really friendship—it’s a transaction dressed up as connection.
Act II: The Slow Burn
Then there are the others. The ones who take their time. They’re in no hurry to know you, and at first they might even seem indifferent. You could pass each other for months with little interaction. But one day a conversation begins, and slowly, quietly, something grows. Nothing is asked, nothing demanded. When the friendship takes root, it’s rich. Mutual. A shared gift rather than a hidden bargain.
And in the end, it’s those slow friendships—the ones that don’t rush, don’t push, don’t come with strings attached—that turn out to be the green flags worth trusting..
The Afterword 
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