I had a long drive ahead
of me. Severe anxiety had set in a day ago, and my head was ringing with a
stress headache. He was packing while I was out of town, and I felt relief, but
I was also feeling apprehension. I wanted to be there so none of my things went
missing. “Oh well,” I thought, “At least now I won’t have to listen to his put downs
or excuses to stay.” This was another one of his lessons. I was certain of it.
He didn’t want to leave at all. He’d told me he
thought we would just pick up where we’d left off. I was horrified by the
idea of having him occupy the same
space as me. I did play along some, believing that if I did, he wouldn’t steal
anything else from me. In reflection, he’d taken more than he would ever know,
but I certainly wasn’t going to tell him.
The highway felt endless. Sleeping in my own bed
was appealing, but knowing he’d be gone made it perfect. No one would be
complaining or lurking on the sofa. Never again would I have to see his face or
listen to his put-downs. I was pondering a couch burning party. I contemplated
hosting the social event and considered that it would make a huge mess;
especially, after someone called the fire department.
Mm, but why am I feeling stressed, I wondered. It
was a colossal relief knowing he wouldn’t be there when I opened the door. I
decided the worry was due to the unknown.
Copyright © 2016 By Chance
