The Lover & the Liar

“Craig? Craig, darling, it’s time to go.” I stepped into our dark bedroom to see him slumped in the corner, not wanting to go anywhere. Walking over, I got to my knees and swung my legs forward, mirroring his position as I felt the cool of the concrete wall meet my spine. I laced my fingers in his and his hand clasped mine, my head resting on his shoulder. “You know it’s for your own good. I’ll be there every step of the way; I’ll come to see you whenever I can.” Tears started to form in my eyes at the prospect of him not being there every day. This was so hard for the both of us, but a harsh necessity in our lives.

The moonlight crept in the window, highlighting the way his chest rose and then fell after a deep breath in. “I can’t do this, Chelsea.” His voice cracked as he said my name and, pulling me close into his side, our tears fell together. We sat side by side for a short while and the emotional silence between us was broken by the loud shrill of my phone. Craig reluctantly let me slip from his side and I padded over to my bag which was resting on the bed. I looked at the phone number flashing on the bright screen, then back at Craig. “Tell them we’ll be there in 15 minutes.” He pushed his drug-addled frame from the floor as the words left his mouth.

I answered the call and Craig straightened out his clothes, moving over to me and pulling me to his chest as I spoke. “Hello? Yes, we’re sorry, we lost track of time. We’ll be there in 15 minutes if that’s okay?” I paused as the woman on the other end of the line spoke and I kissed my fiancé’s neck to assure him that all was fine. Deep down I was scared and I knew he was, too. “That’s great, thank you.” I hung up the phone and threw it back in to my shoulder bag. “Are you ready, babe?” I asked and he nodded, taking my hand in his. He grabbed the sports bag that had been packed for eternity and we left our house, a look if forlornness on Craig’s face as we walked towards the car, his tattooed arm going to my waist before we parted.

---

The drive to the Centre was mostly quiet; the only noise between us the radio and the contact of Craig’s lips to my skin every now and then. We arrived and I pulled up close to the door, knowing that if I parked any further away, it only gave Craig more time to reconsider his decision. I flicked on the interior light of the car and turned my body completely to the side, facing him straight on. I breathed in deep and the words just fell from my mouth as our eyes locked. “You’ll be out of here in no time. They said that if you do well, you could be back at home in a month. Isn’t that great? I’ll come and see you as often as I can – and they can’t deny phone calls because that’s what we agreed in our meeting last week, remember?” Craig nodded and his lips formed a weak smile.

“You know I love you, Chelsea. We should get going, I’m already late.” He took my hand in his and caressed it gently before looking at me to speak again. “When I leave here and I feel better, we are going to start planning the wedding of your dreams, I promise.” I smiled as he finished his sentence, knowing that my Craig would be back soon.

---

The moment we stepped in to Rockview House, we were greeted with warmth. Not only the soft colours on the walls but also the receptionist who had such a calming aurora about her, you knew that you needn’t worry. “Hello there, I’m Linda, can I help you at all?” She spoke gently, her head cocked to the side slightly as she awaited a response.

I looked at Craig who then looked back at me, hopeful that I would do the talking. I squeezed his hand and took a step forward to minimize the gap between us and Linda. “Yes, my fiancé’s here to check in, Mr Craig Owens. We’re a little late, though I spoke to someone on the phone and explained that we lost track of time...” Craig could sense that I was getting nervous and cut my words off with a kiss. Linda was busying herself with paperwork when we broke apart and I looked up, another lady in similar attire now at her side. “I’m sorry, I, umm...” Rather than feeling nervous now, I just felt slightly awkward.

The two women chuckled and nodded their heads in understanding. “Perfectly fine, Miss. This is Stephanie; she will be Craig’s councillor.” We exchanged our welcomes, Craig included. Stephanie seemed very much like Linda in that she was calm and collected, clearly an expert in her field. “Now, as a formality for paperwork and such, I must ask, is this admission willing or unwilling?”

I turned to Craig and, for the first time since we had arrived, he spoke freely. “Willing. I just couldn’t do it without Chelsea.” Linda wrote something down and asked Craig to sign a few documents and so he released my hand. I sighed, knowing I would have to get used the empty feeling that was oh so sudden. “Chels?” His voice lifted me from the trance I was in and he had my full attention again. He laughed softly before carrying on. “Stephanie is going to explain a few things, we can take a seat.” We moved over to the corner of the room where a low coffee table and several sofas and chairs were arranged informally; Craig and I sat down, in sync with each other.

Stephanie began to talk, telling us both of the formalities of the Centre. “As you both may know, the length of each patient’s stay at Rockview House is dependent on their progress. It has already been discussed that, Craig, your stay with us could be as short as a month. I know you were with us for longer last time, though as this is a re-admission, we anticipate that you will be able to get back on your feet sooner than that. Do either of you have any questions?” We both shook our heads, our verbal responses matching our actions. With that, Stephanie stood up and shook our hands. “I’ll leave you two to say your goodbyes. Craig, the drug and alcohol support group will be meeting in Room 3 in 10 minutes time. If you would like to go by and introduce yourself, Linda can show you the way. Our one to one sessions will start tomorrow.” Craig smiled at this, thanking Stephanie before she turned to me. “Chelsea, it was lovely to meet you. I hope to see you soon.” The dark haired woman walked away, leaving the pair of us alone.

“Do we make this short and sweet?” Craig spoke, his voice on the verge of cracking. I nodded and he continued to speak. “This will be the last time I have to come back here, I promise. You’re so good to me; I shouldn’t be putting you through things like this.” I shook my head and we both knew it was because I would be there no matter what happened.

“I’ll be here to the end, you know that. I’ll pop by the day after tomorrow, just to give you some time to get settled in.” We both stood and held each other like we were never going to let the other go. A firm kiss was planted on my lips and we separated, ‘I love you’s’ leaving our mouths in broken voice. I watched as he walked away, his blonde hair messily perfect and his frame strong.

As I left Rockview House Rehabilitation Centre, I knew he’d get through it this time. I just knew it.