Changing Seasons

Sixty-Two

****

Someone was pounding at the door. Police style. Krist had drug his sorry ass from the bed to the couch and had no intention of answering. His phone rang, Jeordie. He declined the call. The knocking continued.

"Krist, open the door, you know I ain't going away," Jeordie shouted through the wood. He paused to think of something to convince his friend to let him in. "Atira's over at my house."

Krist bolted upright, trudging to the door to unlock it. Jeordie let out a low whistle as he took in what he saw. Krist's eyes were swollen, his face blotchy. He looked like shit.

"Damn, dawg," Jeordie told him, pushing past him. "Rocco ain't here, is he?"Krist shook his head no. Thank god.

Krist entered his kitchen and poured himself a glass of water from the fridge spout, "You want anything to drink?"

"I'm good, bro," he replied, sitting on one of the mahogany-colored barstools Krist had at the dining nook. "So, hey, I need you to be honest about something," Jeordie began.

"If you're here to fuckin' lecture me, you know where the door is," Krist snapped, his eyes flashing dark. His reaction was all the answer Jeordie needed.

"I'm here to lecture you. I just think it's bullshit of you to lie to all our faces about being clean when you clearly aren't. I think it's bullshit that your fucking girlfriend is over at my house, crying her face off because you think it's cool to get high," The words exploded from Jeordie's mouth.

Krist laughed sarcastically, "Dude. I fucking did coke. Not meth, coke. And it was a little ass rail. Do I look like I'm tweaking to you, dawg? I got on the scale the other day and weigh a hundred and fuckin' eighty-five pounds." Krist clicked his tongue against the back of the teeth. "Y'all fucking tripping."

"Do you think Atira is tripping, bro?" Jeordie asked him sternly. Krist stared at the water glass before him, but no response came from him. Jeordie wanted to continue to lecture him, but he could see Krist's defensiveness was a facade.

"Is she leaving me for good?" Krist finally asked, not looking up from his glass.

Jeordie's face softened. "I really don't know, dawg. I don't think she wants to, but I also don't know if she is gonna stay with you." He told him truthfully.

"Man, I really fucked up," Krist admitted bitterly. "Dude, I knew I shouldn't have gone out. Like, I never don't not get high with Fernando." He laughed dryly. "What do I do now? I don't want her to leave me." Krist looked up, his eyes filled with pleading desperation.

"I don't think right now there's much you can do other than get back on track, keep moving, and hope she comes back," Jeordie said earnestly.

Krist took a sip of water, swallowing hard. "I probably shouldn't have even told her, bro."

Jeordie stared at him hard, "Really?"

Krist shrugged. "You think she hates me?"

"I think if she hates you, she wouldn't be over at my house wondering if she made the right decision in leaving." Jeordie wished he could forewarn Krist that Cami was probably spilling the beans about all the fucked up shit he'd done to other girlfriends while actively using. Still, he knew that would only lead to further drama.

****

Atira looked intently at Cami, "So...you said that Krist was a different person when he was an addict? I want to know."

Cami sighed, "Krist will always be an addict, babes. Whether he is an active addict or not is a different story. I hope you don't take me telling you any of this as trying to encourage you not to be with him because he has changed, but you still have a right to know everything."