“Wait!”
“For what, Justin? That you can tell me why you’re fucking two women? I don’t really care to hear the reason for that and quite frankly it’s none of my damn business.” I was screaming at him now.
“You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t.” I turned away from him. But wait. How could I be this hypocritical? I did understand. I’d been there, hadn’t I? And not that long ago. I heaved a heavy sigh. And then I faced him. “That’s not exactly true. I do understand. Don’t do this, Justin. I know you’re in a terrible place, but you have to stop. Please. How much are you drinking? It’s only lunchtime.” He reeked and it was disgusting.
He stared back at me. I did the only thing I knew to do. I hugged him. Hard. And then I told him to sit his ass down. I went back into his bedroom and I broke up the girl orgy taking place.
They fussed and hollered but they finally left. I grabbed a robe for him to throw on and then put on a pot of coffee. While it was brewing, I made him drink a huge glass of ice water.
“When was the last time you ate?”
“Yesterday.”
I went back to his bedroom, ripped off the sheets, and threw them into the wash. On my way back to the kitchen, I asked, “How many times?”
“I don’t know.” He rubbed his face as he hung his head.
“Yeah, you do.”
“Ten.”
I went back into the kitchen, called Phil, and made an appointment for Justin. He booked him for six that night. Then I made him breakfast. A three-egg cheese omelet with toast and grits. He ate every bite, but not because he wanted to.
My boss needed to know I wouldn’t be back at work that afternoon, so I sent him a text, claiming I’d been hit with a stomach bug.
When the sheets were done, I threw them into the dryer and made Justin take a shower. He looked like shit on a shingle. It was something my mom used to say and now I knew what it meant.
“Will you stay in here with me?”
“You don’t mind?” I was surprised by his request.
“Lexi, you’ve seen me naked and fucking, what else do I have left?”
I winced. “Was that really necessary?” I was pissed.
“Sorry. I’m such a fuck!”
“Yeah, been there, done that too. Just don’t fuck with me, Justin. I’m trying to help you avoid what I went through, but I won’t put up with you being vulgar or crass with me.”
“God, I’m sorry.” He rubbed his scruffy face with his hands. “You can’t know how much.”
“Just get in the shower, okay?”
He stripped off the robe without modesty and bathed. I handed him a towel. It wasn’t because I was being nice. It was because I really didn’t care to see him naked, even if it didn’t bother him.
“Get dressed. We’re gonna have a chat.”
He finally showed up and I patted the seat next to me on the couch.
“If you weren’t in this state, I’d never be sharing this with you. Only two other people know about this, and they are Pearce and Terri. And honestly, I’m not sure how Pearce will feel when he finds out I’ve told you. But I want you to hear it, so you don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
And then my story went down. I didn’t hold back anything. That afternoon, Justin Middleton learned the down, dirty, and ugly about his soon-to-be sister-in-law. If I shocked him, he didn’t act like it. I cried, then he cried, then we both cried together. He apologized for doing what he did but I told him I wasn’t the one he needed to apologize to. He needed to apologize to himself, because that’s who he was hurting.
I told him he had an appointment with Phil at six. Not going was not an option.
“You have too much to lose. You have a medical practice on the line. You can’t be drinking like this. You have to deal and cope with this. Women and alcohol won’t solve your issues. And, God forbid, you don’t want to end up on the road to drugs. I’m here for you, Justin, but I will not watch you throw your life away.”