a little respect

once upon a time, there were three friends who went to a farm.

their names were ox, bear, and tick.

they were at the farm to enjoy each other's company, as well as view the various wildlife present.

after the three friends had dinner, ox decided to have his fur trimmed.

and so the three went to the farmer's shop nearby where ox would be pruned.

but bear and tick got bored just sitting around waiting for ox, so they decided to walk around the farm.

after bidding ox temporary leave, the two went around looking for new clothes.

bear was in a shopping mood, and since tick was broke, he had to content himself with just looking and trying the freebies.

a loud bellow was heard. it was tick's cell phone.

ox had finished his cut. where were bear and tick?

tick replied, we are at the herd collection.

ox answered, where is that?

tick replied, never mind - we'll go to where the farmer's shop where you are.

when they arrived, there was no sign of ox.

the farmer already had closed shop.

tick got worried and tried to contact ox.

no reply.

bear tried to call ox, but his calls were cancelled.

when bear and tick were tired of worrying and waiting for long, they decided to leave.

and that's when bear received a message from ox, that ox decided to leave because he was tired of waiting for them, and that he needed to take a bath.

that's when tick got ticked off - pun intended.

ox had a history of the attacks of the prima donna. bear and tick were used to it.

tick was the one more exposed to ox's theatrics than bear.

there was the time where ox walked out on tick because a shepherd dog wouldn't allow ox inside a shop with his saddlebag.

there was also the time where ox messaged tick he was depressed and suicidal.

there was the time where ox would make a scene in public.

tick was used to it.

after all, ox frequently made complaints of the littlest things.

he would become a completely different animal with eyes that glared, nostrils that flared, and teeth that bared.

what is wrong with your customer service?
is this how you treat people?
what is wrong with your product?
where is the manager?
i would like to make a complaint.
you people are stupid.

his tirades would go on.

sometimes tick would feel embarrassed. most of the time, tick would just roll his eyes.

and there were those complaints about ox's life:

i'm bored.
i have no money.
would you treat me the same if i were poor?
i have so many problems you know nothing about.
i'm such a loser.
you don't care about other people

and tick would usually reply:

get a job or run a business. true moguls are never complacent.
how can you drain down $500 in a month? where does it all go?
simplify your life, stop spending unnecessarily. i mean, for a start, do you really need all 4 phones?
you have to stop creating drama in your life. if you did, you'd have more peace.
stop making excuses for not doing anything and do something.
there are people poorer than you, and they would be glad to have at least some of what you spend in a month.
stop complaining. people have problems all the time. what makes you different?
you get too involved in other people's lives. and you try to fix them - except you haven't fixed your own problems.
true wealth is reflected in a person's character, in how he treats other people.

tick was usually patient with ox.

ox was, at most times, fun to be with.
but there was just no excusing the rudeness of leaving bear and tick at the farm without any notice, when it was ox's idea to go to the farm in the first place.

this time, tick was tired.

and he didn't care anymore.

tick was not into taking care of nutcases.
tick did not like too much drama in his life.
tick respected himself too much.

and that's how tick became and transformed into trey.