This is the sixth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V before continuing.
As the tea seeped, Jessica went into her closet and came back out with an armful of puzzle boxes. She laid them out on her dining room table and said, “Pick your poison.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I had done a puzzle. I used to love doing them as a kid, but somewhere along the way adulting had taken up too much space in my life and, despite having my own collection of puzzle boxes in my closet downstairs, I was sure they were covered in dust.
I carefully considered my options. There was a series of pictures of puppies in Halloween outfits, and as adorable as that was, it was only March, which meant Halloween was way too far off for me to be able to think about right now.
There was an illustrated Paris landscape, a Little Mermaid puzzle, and a Titanic puzzle.
I chose the Paris landscape.
We chatted as we worked on the puzzle and sipped our tea. When our first mugs were empty, Jessica asked if I wanted to switch to something stronger. But I had done so much crying that day that I was feeling dehydrated, and I knew alcohol would only make that worse. Also, I wasn’t sure it was good for someone in my mental state to be having alcohol. I said no thanks, and could I please have some more tea instead.
She obliged and we went back to our puzzle.
I avoided thinking about when I would have to leave. Obviously, I couldn’t stay here forever, but I wished I could. What if I could just drink tea and put together jigsaw puzzles for the rest of my life? Wouldn’t that be great?
Alas, there were bills to be paid, which meant I had to go back to work tomorrow, which meant I had to shower and change clothes, which meant I had to go back downstairs and face my traitorous ex-boyfriend.
That was the first time I had called him my “ex-boyfriend,” and even though it was only in my head, it gave me a start and also made me kind of sad.
After finishing my second cup of tea, I decided to pull up my big-girl pants and take the initiative, rather than making Jessica kick me out.
“Well, this has been lovely, but I should probably be getting back.” I gave my mug one, last, longing look as I put it in the sink.
“You sure? You can crash here as long as you like.”
I snorted. “Where? On your couch?
Jessica shrugged. “Or I could take the couch and you could take the bed.”
I gave her a look that said, “Yeah, right,” but as I did, I realized she was serious. There was no humor or sarcasm in her eyes as she returned my gaze. Just an honest – if overly generous – offer of friendship.
“You are so sweet, but no, thank you. I might as well get this over with.”
“OK, but you’ll call if you need anything, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ll call if you ever feel like doing anything that stupid ever again?”
“Yes.”
“You have to promise me.”
“I promise.”
“OK. I’ll check up on you tomorrow.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, wrapping my arms around her in another big hug.
“You are very welcome,” she said as she returned the hug.
We stayed like that for a long time, and I had a very hard time pulling myself away from that embrace of love and support to face my own apartment of betrayal and abandonment.
To be continued…