TEEN TIMES: Sadly, Money and I never meet for long enough now to form a stable relationship. He does not ever pop into my house on a social visit or turn up when I desperately need him to be around.

Money has been something of a "fair-weather friend". He's around in abundance when I could do without him, and cannot make time for me when I'm in a situation where his presence is imperative. This was not always so.

When I was young, Money always made time for me. When I went to see my grandparents, he would be there. He would attend family occasions such as christenings, and supported me unquestioningly for birthdays, Christmases, my Communion, and my Confirmation. He never failed me and was my always available, ever-reliable source of comfort.

I knew that Money respected me and we worked as a team, effortlessly helping each other. If I needed him, I just asked, and if he wanted a bit of rest and relaxation, some time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I let him hibernate for a while in the bank.

As I grew up, Money seemed to lose interest in me. He got a bit fed up with the lifestyle I was living, didn't approve of, or support, my packed social calendar. He couldn't understand why I wanted him to come to everything and encouraged me to be less needy. I knew it was senseless. I couldn't just take it easy as he wished. I wanted to go bowling and to singing lessons, concerts and the zoo, and no matter where I went, I always wanted him to be there too.

It's often easy to know what's right but not quite so easy to do it. I had real difficulty in letting him go.

At the back of my mind, I knew that we were growing steadily apart and that there would come a time when we wouldn't party together any more. It got to the stage where we would barely acknowledge that we once knew each other. I knew deep down his desertion of me was imminent.

Surprise, surprise, it happened. The separation hurt me really badly, and what made it worse was that Money decided to befriend my parents, my friends and random people I'd see on the street, at the same time that he had given up completely on me.

The fact that he got along so well with them all, his persona evident in their wining and dining, his influence evident in their choice of top-brand clothing, made what was a difficult situation even harder for me. It served to emphasise the fact that he had no interest in me any more and that our friendship was a mere memory.

I'm on the eve of going to college now, and though I wish we could bridge our differences, I feel it will be a long time before Money and I even cross paths again. Maybe someday when I get a job and we're both more mature, we can be acquaintances, if not friends.

Orna McDonald (19) is a first year student at Trinity College, Dublin

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