Partnerships Can Break Friendships” There were two friends since school days: Sami and Mazen. The two were inseparable — even the neighbors thought they were brothers. They worked for years, saved up some money, and decided to open a small coffee shop together. During the first month, everything was great. They worked side by side, laughed together, and stayed late at the shop doing the accounts. But little by little, problems started. Sami began to feel that he was doing most of the work while his friend was taking it easy at his expense. Mazen, on the other hand, felt that Sami wanted to control everything and acted like nobody understood anything except him. One day, a customer came in complaining about something. Sami solved the issue and gave the customer a discount. After the customer left, Mazen exploded: “Why would you give him a discount without asking?!” Sami replied: “So the customer comes back.” Mazen said: “And that comes out of my pocket too, right?!” From that moment on, there was a new argument every day. If the shop made profit, they fought over who deserved the credit. If business was bad, each one blamed the other. Even their hangouts, once full of laughter, became full of tension and misery. One day, while calculating the shop’s income at the end of the month, they discovered that some money was missing, and suspicion began to grow between them. Mazen looked at Sami and asked: “Did you take it?” Sami stood up angrily: “You seriously suspect me?!” Abu Al-Abed, an old man drinking coffee near the door, sighed and said: “Oh boys… partnerships ruin relationships.” The two friends fell silent. Because they realized too late… The shop did not only cost them money — it cost them their friendship too. Meaning of the proverb “Partnerships ruin relationships” The proverb means that business partnerships often damage personal relationships because, over time, money, interests, and financial matters create tension and problems between people.