Once Again

Chapter 28: November 2021

I'm packing and surveying my townhome to make sure I'm not leaving anything behind. Mom developed vertigo over the last year and now she's having issues with her vision so she's unable to drive. My sister is in Nevada with her three kids and husband, so she's not able to help.  Atlanta has become the next Hollywood since I've been gone so I figure it's time to go back. I have plenty of job opportunities and I no longer feel uncomfortable and itchy to leave when I visit. Now I feel happy to visit and excited to be around my friends and old haunts again.
  I made friends in LA but it's not the same as the friendships I grew as a kid. I even got married in LA. Another screenwriter who wrote for comedies. He made me laugh and he was steady. He was handsome with his dark curly hair and brown eyes and an infectious laugh. I felt comfortable being myself around him, he was my friend. We were married for 10 years up until the pandemic hit. The pandemic was hard on both of us, but mostly him. He'd lost his job early on and struggled to find work.  He ended up accepting a job in NYC a year in. We had become too comfortable with each other. We had become like roommates after a while with the spark (if there ever was one) gone, so by the time the job came up we both decided it was time to go our separate ways. There were no hard feelings and we still stay in touch. We'll always be there for each other if either of us need each other. He remarried a pretty actress he met on one of his shows and he's crazy about her.
   I start to believe I'm not the woman you stay with. I'm the woman you love for a bit before you find the one that you're head over heels for. I become ok with the idea of not having any more long-term relationships. I have my family and my friends and I'm blessed to have the people I have in my life.
    Rhys's wife died earlier this year. A brain aneurysm at 35 years old. It's shocking. She leaves behind a 16 year old and 13 year old which are such tough ages to lose a parent. Our friends rallied behind Rhys for her funeral despite him not staying in touch. He's thin, pale, and shaky but stoic and strong for his kids. I send flowers to her funeral with my condolences.
   Despite the tragedy, I have no intention or interest in getting back in touch with him when I move back. I hope he's ok and hope he finds happiness again, but I've gotten used to not having him in my life. I feel I grieved the boy I befriended and the man I loved long ago. However, I knew he wouldn't stay away from me. I knew he'd recognize my absence from his life finally with the absence of her. And whenever that suspicion arose I'd feel a wave of anger and indignation.