Work and life were no different for Claudia. The assertive HR professional had the same inane habits in person.
She believed feedback solved problems — structured feedback, precise documentation and SMART — specific, measurable, acievable, relevant and time-bound outcomes.
One day, her l.ong-time best friend Marianne Lee found a curious email invitation to their favourite cafe. It came with an equally curious attachment.
She opened it, and her eyes widened.
Friendship Assessment Form
Claudia HAD to be joking. 23 years of friendship and —
THIS?
Then, in the almost inconspicuous top-right-hand corner —
A deadline.
Marianne met Claudia at the cafe, where the latter produced a folder.
Marianne’s friendship appraisal form apparently showed stellar scores.
Crisis: Exceeds Expectations
Confidentiality: Exceeds expectations
Restaurant selection: Outstanding
Birthday Memory: Meets Expectations
Claudia clicked her pen with professional enthusiasm, then showed her friend the Areas for Development section.
Marianne’s left eyebrow began ascending.
QUICKLY.
She had recorded Marianne:
Arriving late;
Sending ten-minute voice messages;
Responding to messages with just a ‘like’.
Marianne remained totally silent. Claudia interpreted it as professional maturity and recorded it as ‘receptive to feedback.’
Marianne didn’t raise a single objection.
With a smile, she straightened up in her chair.
“Thank you for your feedback.”
Claudia simply radiated.
Until they next had coffee.
Marianne slid into her seat, her own folder in hand.
Much thicker than Claudia’s.
She had performed a 360 degree Friendship Assessment–
With the help of stakeholders.
Claudia’s stopped stirring her coffee.
Claudia’s sister supplied that Claudia was “ unnecessarily particular” with people.
The salesgirl at the corner minimart mentioned her being “ finicky.”
Claudia’s neighbour said that she complained over trivial matters–
Shoes clicking on the pavement.
“ The neighbour can’t have stakes!” Claudia began a vehement protest.
Marianne had seen the response coming.
She pointed to–
Appendix C.
As expected, Claudia’s friends heard about the review–
And loved the idea.
A little too much.
Claudia’s friendship group soon became a tightly run organization–
For Claudia Fault Registration.
One raised the point that she never said thanks when she picked him at the air port.
Another mentioned that she never remembered birthdays.
Yet another told a tale of constant nagging.
One more reported her too-Ioud stereo.
The system continued to metastasise.
A member of the group suggested that she use Friendship KPIs.
Birthday responses were timed.
Coffee invitations were acknowledged —
But no one was sure what that required.
Then Claudia received her final assessment.
OVERALL FRIENDSHIP PERFORMANCE: NEEDS IMPROVEMENT.
Her jaw dropped.
Not because she had been late.
Or had forgotten someone’s birthday.
Or had selected a restaurant with poor reviews.
Marianne pointed to a piece of feedback, written in small font at the corner of the assessment sheet.
Claudia had evaluated friendship, but forgot that her own could be as well.
There was a long pause.
Then, Claudia nodded slowly.
“Perhaps friendship doesn’t need KPIs.”
She tore up the original assessment sheet she had created with a flourish.
No SMART targets.
No reviews.
No stakeholder surveys.
She looked at the sea of faces before her and apologised.
Marianne accepted.
They drank coffee without discussing a single outcome.
Then, Marianne laid a single document on the table.
To Claudia’s synchronised groan.
FINAL FRIENDSHIP PERFORMANCE REVIEW —
Friendship renewed.
Mirrors of the Mind by Michelle Liew is a collection of psychological and supernatural short stories that explore the quiet unease beneath ordinary moments. These are not tales of spectacle, but of subtle fracture — where memory distorts, silence speaks, and the self is not always singular. In these stories, what is unseen often carries the greatest weight, and what lingers is not what is shown, but what is felt.
