Sequel: You Could Be Happy ›
Wilted and Faded
it’s too early for that dress
I was looking through the cabinets in Johnny’s kitchen for something to eat to no avail. I had met the rest of the guys in the band, Mikey, Ray and Bob, and they all seemed like pretty cool guys. It had only just dawned on me that I would be living with seven guys which could get… interesting.
“Coffee?” a voice asked, making me jump.
“Um sure,” I replied, turning to face Gerard.
I watched as he expertly filled my mug and then his own.
“I hope this doesn’t sound too forward Ruby, but your brother told me about everything that happened with your friend. And he told me that you’re trying to stop drinking. I just wanted to let you know that I went through the same kind of thing a little while ago, getting sober, and if you need to talk to someone that isn’t your brother or if you just want to vent then I’d like to help you, if that’s okay?”
I looked at him and saw the honesty in his eyes. He wasn’t judging me, wasn’t making me feel like the idiot I had been. He was genuinely reaching out to help. This perfect stranger wanted to help me.
“If I’ve said something I shouldn’t have or -”
“No,” I cut him off, my voice quiet, “That’s really kind of you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to though. I got myself into this mess and I’ve already dragged too many people down with me.”
The look on his face made me realise just how harsh that had sounded.
I looked down into my coffee, “That didn’t sound as bad in my head.”
“Don’t worry about it. All the best people I know are more than a little messed up.”
“Yeah?” I looked up at him.
“Hell yeah. In that living room alone we have enough issues to keep a therapist busy for a good couple of years.”
I smiled at him as he slurped his coffee, the first genuine smile in two days.
Maybe he was right, everyone worth knowing was a little fucked up. Like Einstein said, ‘People that never made mistakes never tried something new’, or something like that.
“All I’m saying is spend enough time locked away in your own head and it’s easy to scare the shit out of yourself. Make yourself think that you’re the biggest screw up in the world. You should never feel the need to hurt yourself because this world is gonna hurt you fucking worse that you could hurt yourself.”
“That was very deep and meaningful Gerard,” I smiled, glad that I wasn’t so alone anymore.
“I try,” he smirked before flinging an arm around my shoulders, “Stick with us kid and you won’t go wrong. And if you do we’ll be there with you.”
I laughed as we walked through to join the rest of the guys.
“Coffee?” a voice asked, making me jump.
“Um sure,” I replied, turning to face Gerard.
I watched as he expertly filled my mug and then his own.
“I hope this doesn’t sound too forward Ruby, but your brother told me about everything that happened with your friend. And he told me that you’re trying to stop drinking. I just wanted to let you know that I went through the same kind of thing a little while ago, getting sober, and if you need to talk to someone that isn’t your brother or if you just want to vent then I’d like to help you, if that’s okay?”
I looked at him and saw the honesty in his eyes. He wasn’t judging me, wasn’t making me feel like the idiot I had been. He was genuinely reaching out to help. This perfect stranger wanted to help me.
“If I’ve said something I shouldn’t have or -”
“No,” I cut him off, my voice quiet, “That’s really kind of you. I don’t want you to feel like you have to though. I got myself into this mess and I’ve already dragged too many people down with me.”
The look on his face made me realise just how harsh that had sounded.
I looked down into my coffee, “That didn’t sound as bad in my head.”
“Don’t worry about it. All the best people I know are more than a little messed up.”
“Yeah?” I looked up at him.
“Hell yeah. In that living room alone we have enough issues to keep a therapist busy for a good couple of years.”
I smiled at him as he slurped his coffee, the first genuine smile in two days.
Maybe he was right, everyone worth knowing was a little fucked up. Like Einstein said, ‘People that never made mistakes never tried something new’, or something like that.
“All I’m saying is spend enough time locked away in your own head and it’s easy to scare the shit out of yourself. Make yourself think that you’re the biggest screw up in the world. You should never feel the need to hurt yourself because this world is gonna hurt you fucking worse that you could hurt yourself.”
“That was very deep and meaningful Gerard,” I smiled, glad that I wasn’t so alone anymore.
“I try,” he smirked before flinging an arm around my shoulders, “Stick with us kid and you won’t go wrong. And if you do we’ll be there with you.”
I laughed as we walked through to join the rest of the guys.