A Love Story Part II

The Consequence

I feel like I should take a minute to talk about your consequence. This wasn't the first or second time it happened, and you probably should have had far more of these. But, you didn't. Apparently, the first two times didn't teach you anything. 

So, this consequence put you into another institution for 10 or 11 days--I don't really recall. During that time you came to what you thought were realizations about your life and wondered if this was just how it had to be.

You arrived back to your place and went on a couple errands with your mom. She was scared of the future and so was I. 

We were told by your attorney that there was a special court for people like you and you weren't thrilled about the prospect of all the work involved. In fact, you tried to weasel your way out by opting for house arrest. Your mom, attorney, and I wouldn't let that happen. 

This program would be intense but it was doable and probably something we needed.

The Waiting

Having no job and no prospects, you went back to the hotel where you had previously worked. For a while this was good. Eventually, it drove you crazy for lack of a schedule, no way to move up, and no possible way to make more money. 

During this waiting period, a few important things happened: you found a great friend in Texas who wound up being one of your favorite people and almost our entire hometown flooded. It was trying, but your parents lucked out and did not have any damage.

After your roommate quit paying rent and you kicked him out, you found another winner to take over his place. This one bailed before he even moved in and it was decided you'd move back home. 

Moving back home was difficult at first. Your medicine was still a little off, probably still suffering from post-acute withdrawal syndrome, and it hurt your pride. To say things were rocky with your siblings would be an understatement, and it was hard living under a roof that wasn't yours after so long. 

Eventually, things mostly normalized and you got used to being there. 

The Facebook Post

This is worth mentioning because, at some point in time, there was a Facebook post wanting female friends. I'm assuming some people thought this post was funny or a joke but you didn't care. This is how you re-met your best friend. 

You and she had known each other for a long time--since The Bulldog days--but never had been close. She messaged you her number and (surprise!) you texted her. 

Y'all don't see eye-to-eye on everything all the time, but there is always some sort of shenanigan going on and lots of giggles. You two are each other's go-to girls, you vent and you laugh, you bitch about men, work, and school; there is just a certain level of understanding between y'all. 

July 11, 2017

This is the day you pled into that special court program. Soon, you'd start counseling and we'd start coming together again. Actually, as we began our new relationship, the relationship with your family also began growing and mending.

There was counseling, support groups, court sessions twice a month, one mandatory garden day per month, fees, probation, case management, more community service, curfews, and drug screens. We started to get busy. Oh, and for 45 days of all this, we had no license.

Oddly enough, the busier we got, the happier we got. Things started to shift, and soon they'd be looking up.

A Love Story Part I

The Beginning

When I first met you, I was unimpressed. You were a dorky teenager that tried too hard. Smart, and a smartass. I never knew if you were unsure of yourself, or actually confident... sometimes you were just a cocky S-O-B.

You began to get older, and you met other people. We grew apart but I was still excited for you. Something told me these relationships wouldn't work out--that didn't really matter, you were going places. But this story isn't about the other ones. It's about us...

The Slow Change

You ended up with multiple restaurant jobs and somehow always made ends meet. You moved up to bartending and started making relatively good money. At this point, you seemed to be a different person, one that I didn't really know. A person I couldn't stand to be around. You grew to be unhappy and obsessively thought about all the wrong things while poisoning yourself slowly. We didn't talk much anymore and you certainly had no friends left.

I knew you were ill, but I couldn't get you to change. Your sweet parents were devastated and things looked grim.

Relief... For a Bit

Sometime during our story, you decided to find the cure for your sickness. I actually started liking you again. Then you trusted the wrong information and made a life-changing decision.

Your dormant sickness was back with a vengeance. Things got much worse over a short period of time. It was frightening to everyone around.

It was found that the first sickness actually went along with a second disorder which you thought you had for years.

The office you were working at closed. Being at a loss, and feeling like you had nowhere to turn, you began to plan the end of your life. I knew about the plan, but couldn't tell you any different. There was nothing for me to do; my hands were tied. We weren't even that close anymore so I couldn't even offer insight.

Dumb Luck

You went on with the attempt on your life, emotionally wrecking the few people that remained close. It's a fluke you're still here, and I will forever be grateful for the person that stopped you. Honestly, I didn't know if you would ever forgive the person I was so thankful to.

I didn't see you for about a week because you went away to a hospital. You said it was pretty awful, but you didn't call me. I still hoped I'd have you back soon.

You were released and things were again better, if only slightly. Long story short, after a few months of having your own place and still being a crazy asshole, you had another consequence. A major one.
This was a game-changer. Your life as you knew it was over.

Ours was just beginning.