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“So, who is the lucky lady?” Candace asks.
“Actually, that’s funny.” I turn to Dane. “My vacation at the hotel, I met one of Davis’s co-workers and we well, you know.”
“Wait, the chick you introduced me to?”
“Tatum. Yeah.”
“Oh I remember her from Davis’s BBQ. She’s really nice.” Sterling chimes in.
“Am I the only one who didn’t know my brother threw a party while I was at rehab?”
“I didn’t. But I doubt that counts since I wasn’t in the country, so I wasn’t invited.” Candace jokes.
“So, a baby, how you handling this?” Sterling asks.
“To be honest, I’m okay. Of course, I’m scared shitless, but I think I’m better mentally now versus 6 months ago. If this was then, I would be at the bottom of many glasses.” I explain sitting on the barstool off to the side.
“No desire to take a drink?”
“When she first said it, honestly I did a little bit. But I remedied that with my shake. I know I’m in the early recovery stage and there are triggers. I’m focusing on the here and now and I’m… well I’m here talking about how I feel right now. I wanted to talk to you guys about it, before I went to any meeting or talked about this with Leo or my sponsor. You guys should be the first to know these things.”
“Have you called your sponsor?” Sterling, the voice of reason asks.
“I sent him a text letting him know that I was going to call them in a few hours. Leo and I have plans to attend a meeting tomorrow morning and then yeah. I’m taking all the measured steps. One foot in front of the other.”
“I’m proud of you. And excited.” Dane says clapping me on the back.
“So Tatum, what’s going on with her?” Candace asks.
“Davis is good friends with her. He actually went over to her house tonight. I offered, but it’s probably weird to inject myself right now. We’re going to meet up on Saturday and then Monday morning is the first doctor’s appointment.” Sterling pushes a glass of water in front of me and I take a sip.
I ate the homecoming tacos with my friends and then excused myself to head back home. On the way home, I called my sponsor and gave him the run-down. It was a thought provoking conversation and while I completely agree that this is a monumental life change, it might be one of the best ones I could have at this point in time.
* * *
Tatum textedme her address to pick her up for lunch at noon. I park my car at the curb and walk up the small steps to her complex. I locate her name on the gate and press it for her to buzz me in. She lets me in within seconds and I’m strolling in. It’s a fairly small complex, but it’s run down and dirty. There’s a gentleman sitting on the 2nd floor, on his balcony smoking weed and talking loudly on his phone. I find her door and knock gently. She opens and steps aside to let me in.
She’s dressed in a multi-colored skirt and a solid v-neck t-shirt. It’s San Diego, so it’s always nice weather and today couldn’t be further from the truth. She looks nervous as she steps aside to allow me in and closes the door behind me.
“I’m almost ready, can I get you something to drink?” She asks walking further into her apartment.
I look around at my surroundings. It’s an open space, not big and not small. I see the hallway which leads to the bedroom, I assume the only bedroom in the apartment and then the bathroom.
“I’m fine, thank you.” My palms are sweaty, so I hide them in my pockets. “Have you lived here long?” I ask.
“Yeah, I moved in here a few years ago.” She smiles as she puts items into her bag. She wraps her bag around her shoulder and looks up.
“You ready?” I ask.
“You have a car right, not just that motorcycle?” She looks nervous again.
“Yes, I figured you wouldn’t want to ride on the bike.” I smile when she returns it back to me.
I place my hand at the small of her back as we walk to my car and I can feel her shiver. I open the door for her and return to the driver’s side.
“Okay, so I’ve done a little reading and I know you crave pineapples but is there anything else that you will or will not eat right now?”
“No chicken and no bacon.” She said quietly.
