Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
And I found a lot of reasons for things not to be necessary.
Brick basically took care of me for a week. I didn’t bear witness to everything he did for me, but I woke up every day with a bed to sleep in, food if I needed it, and Brick making sure I was still alive. He let me have my space while also keeping an eye on me. I don’t think he went to work all week either. He put his life on hold for my breakdown.
And now, I’m not sure where we go from here. He probably resents me for the bullshit I’ve been dragging him through. I have no idea whether or not my dad has made good on his threat to quit. I know that if he does leave, it won’t damage Brick’s career or reputation. I fully believe Brick intended on firing my dad before we got together.
What I’m more worried about is how my dad chose to make his exit, if he did in fact make it. The level of anger he displayed the night my parents caught us was explosive. I’m not sure if that anger carried on for days and how it could affect everything else in our lives.
There’s too much going on, and I need my best friend to talk me through all of this. When I finally checked my phone, I saw that Mamie had texted me a few times. The last few messages sounded a little worried, and there were even a few voicemails. I really just sat through the last few days and ignored every obligation and responsibility I had.
“Hello? Tammy!” I connected my phone to the Bluetooth in Brick’s car. I felt weird taking his car, but he was being so insistent, and I didn’t want to get into an argument with him. Getting out of that apartment was my main worry. Everything else could be dealt with later.
“Mamie, hi. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
“Oh my God, I’ve been so worried about you. Are you okay? Is everything okay?”
“I’m on my way to your place. Can we talk once I get there?”
“Of course. It’s just… I tried calling your parents, but—”
“We’ll talk when I get to your apartment, I promise,” I cut her off. I don’t want to talk about it while I’m in the car. I can’t begin to predict what my parents may have told Mamie regarding my absence. What I do know is that hearing about it while I’m driving isn’t going to make me feel any better.
“Yeah, we’ll talk when you get here. That’s fine. See you soon.”
“Bye.” I hang up. At this point, all I can do is get to my friend’s place. I’m sure Mamie will know all the right things to say.
I’m standing right outside of Mamie’s front door. It clicks and swings open, revealing my best friend.
“Tammy, come inside.” She ushers me into her home and closes the door behind me. The minute I am in her house, I start crying, unable to hold back the tears any longer. They’ve been welling up inside me ever since that night. “Oh no, Tammy.”
Mamie brings me into an all-encompassing hug, wrapping her arms around me.
“Let it out, just let it out. It’s okay. I’m here for you.” She rubs my back, letting me cry for as long as I need to. These sobs are ugly and loud and full of snot. While it’s painful, it also feels good to finally let out all of my sadness.
After a while, I’m able to calm myself down. I pull back and look Mamie in the eyes.
“I’m sorry,” I apologize, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I didn’t mean to do that,” I sniffle, doing my best to keep my face from getting even more disgusting.
“Don’t ever apologize for being sad. You have feelings, and sometimes they have to be let out. Do you want to tell me what happened? I tried talking to your parents, but all they would tell me is that you weren’t staying with them anymore. It was really weird. What’s going on?”
“Let’s sit down, and I’ll tell you everything.” I motion toward Mamie’s couch, and the two of us sit down. I lean back, resting my head, and take a deep breath before launching into the whole sordid tale. “My parents found out about me and Brick.”
“Found out?”
“He was picking me up, and they saw us and put two and two together, you know. Figured out we were dating. They were absolutely devastated. My dad was yelling; my mom was crying. It was crazy.” I pick up my head to look at my friend. “I knew they might not be super happy about the fact that Brick and I hid our relationship, but Mamie, they fucking lost their minds. I couldn’t reason with either one of them.”