Importance of Acquiring a Friend

The word "ulai" appears twice in the story of Eliezer and Rivka, and the second time it is spelled so it can be read "elai," me. Rashi, quoting the Midrash, says what Eliezer may have been thinking, and Avraham's answer sounds surprisingly harsh toward a servant who has been so loyal. What was Avraham really telling him? And why does the Torah only hint at it the second time around? Rabbi Asaf Prisman ties it to the curse of Cham and how a man can work his way out of what he inherited.