Separate Lives

So yesterday I was cleaning and organizing and thanking my lucky stars that he is gone now.

 

No one's around now to tell me I shouldn't throw unloved and unused things away because they 'might' be useful someday. I love that, because I really like for my home to be very clutter-free. Plus I would like to move to a one bedroom apartment someday soon and having less stuff to move would make that a lot easier.

 

I was thinking about the fact that my sister would be coming over last night, and I then thought about The DaVinci Code. And then I thought about where my book was. And I realized that I had allowed him to lend it to a friend at work. So I had to call him in order to get it back. I called and was so relieved when his voicemail picked up. I pressed the # key so I wouldn't have to listen to the whole message and more of his voice. I left my message and waited. He called back and offered to just pay me for the book and stop by around 10pm that night to drop off said check. Yup, that would work. My sister asked why he'd just pay me for the book and it hurt me to say that it was probably because there would be less contact with me that way. And that book meant more to him than it did me. The only reason I wanted it back was because I had promised to lend it to Sister.

 

So I happily went off with my mom and sister. My mom was not quite so happy as she is in one of those 'I'd like to kill your father' moods and had successfully avoided him for 5 hours that day. She didn't like the meeting, and I wasn't surprised, as she is still in the floodwaters of denial and she won't let anyone help her. Her theoretical solution is simple - Dad dies, she lives happily ever after. And she probably would. Until she found a new alcoholic.

 

At 9:30, my phone rings. It's him. He's at my apartment building. "I'm not there. You said 10pm, it's only 9:30, " I say while laughing.

 

"Well, is your car unlocked?"

 

"Yup! Good idea. Just put it in front of the instruments behind the steering wheel."

 

"A check in plain sight? No, I'll put it in your glovebox."

 

"Ok. Oh! By the way! Check on the passenger side on the floor by the door...your Johnny Horton CD is there."

 

"Ah. Yes. Thanks."

 

"Ok, anything else?"

 

"Nope."

 

"Ok, bye."

 

"Bye." He sounded sullen because I sounded so dismissive.

 

I'm so glad that I wasn't there when he showed up and that I didn't have to see him. As it was, I felt sad after we spoke so much. I felt sad that I missed seeing him, but trust me, it was for the best. God knows what would have happened if he had come over to my apartment and I had been there alone at 9:30. Who knows what dumb decisions I'd have made?

 

In any case, that was yesterday and today life goes on, to quote an 80's song that I am currently listening to. : ) I gotta get crackin if I want to make it to the 4pm meeting today. : )