Anger Management

Relapse

Despite confessing to Happy that he hated boxing, Toby actually kept at it. She would often walk into him at the gym where he took her to box. After a while, they started sparring together. Toby said it was more efficient to spar against someone bigger than yourself, and that sparring together would just be easier. Happy thought that he secretly enjoyed spending time with her outside of his office. She enjoyed his company, too.

They met once a week after work, both more than ready to rid themselves of the day's frustrations. It was one of these days that Happy found herself sparring alone. This was the first time Toby had bailed on their weekly sparring date, and Happy couldn't help but feel worried.

It wasn't like him to just not show, not without letting her know he would be busy. Maybe something had happened to him?

Happy snapped herself out of it by hitting the punching bag slightly harder. No, she thought, he's a grown man who can take care of himself.

Then why did she feel dread at the thought of Toby in trouble?

She decided to find him. Who knew; perhaps he'd just fallen asleep. She knew he'd slept through many appointments so she figured it wasn't that unreasonable. She packed her gear away and changed as quickly as she could. With each passing second she pictured Toby in various troubling situations.

Only once she was driving, did her mind start to settle. She had always been a reckless driver, but driving gave her the feeling of being in control.

She arrived at his office in record time. It was already quite late, but Toby's secretary, Eadlyn, was still there. "Hi, Eadlyn," Happy greeted her, slightly out of breath. "Is Toby around?"

Eadlyn frowned and shook her head. "No, dear, he hasn't been in all day." She readjusted her purple cat-eye glasses. "I've tried phoning but he doesn't answer."
Happy nodded and thanked Eadlyn, while the cogs in her brain started turning. She didn't know where he lived but she was sure she could find the information somewhere in Eadlyn's files. But that would be unethical, not to mention invasive. Oh well, Happy thought to herself. Desperate times called for desperate measures. While Eadlyn was searching for a patient's file in the Doc's office, she quickly flipped through a file labelled 'Tobias M. Curtis' and found his address. She committed it to memory, then quickly greeted Eadlyn and left the building.

She decided to send him a text message, just in case. Maybe he just didn't want to see or talk to anyone. It read, "Hi Toby. Is everything alright? You never pitched for boxing." She held her breath and pressed send, then waited for a minute. Her phone buzzed with a text from Toby that simply read, "I'm ok."

Happy accepted it and went home. Despite his message, Happy couldn't stop herself from thinking that he wasn't okay.

**

It was official: Toby was not okay. This was the second boxing date he had missed, and he hadn't showed up for their therapy session either.

Happy pulled out her phone and dialled his number before she could think otherwise.

It rang twice before she heard the tell-tale click of the phone being answered. "Hello?" A smooth German voice bled through the phone.

For one of the first times in her life, Happy found herself completely speechless. Something in her stomach twisted viciously, and there was a bad taste in her mouth. Blood rushed through her ears as her knees buckled. The realisation was almost too much for her to handle.

In the background she heard Katja ask who was calling, but Happy quickly ended the call. Toby had gotten back with his fiancé. He had said she had wanted to try again; but he had also sworn he wasn't interested in her.

Happy decided she wouldn't believe it until she saw it herself. She pulled on and laced up her boots, before grabbing her truck's keys. She was going to see Toby.

**

Happy stood in front of Toby's apartment door, building up the courage to knock. She was almost sure Katja would answer the door, but she figured it was worth a shot.

She rapped on the door; two loud knocks that rang through the hallway. The door creaked open, and standing in the doorway was Katja. She was wearing what looked like one of Toby's old college shirts, with her hip cocked and her arms crossed. Happy could hear water running in the background.

Katja, seeing Happy look around Toby's apartment, stepped out of the doorway and closed the door behind her. She narrowed her eyes and stepped into Happy's personal space.

"What do you want, Joy?" She spat. "Make it fast, Tobias is showering."

Happy scoffed. "First of all, it's Happy. Second of all, it's Toby. And third, I'm here to see if he's okay."

"Why would you care?" She asked with a sneer.

"He didn't show up for work. Or our boxing lessons."

"Well why would he want to spend any time with you?" Katja's face twisted into something vicious. "You lack any sign of delicacy, what with your man hands."

Okay, Happy thought. That was low. So what if her hands were calloused and usually stained with motor oil? At least she knew how to work for things in life. Not like Katja, who looked to Happy like someone who got things handed to her in life.

"Besides," the German continued. "He picked me, and I can clearly see why. So why don't you take your pity party somewhere else?" She stepped inside the apartment and was just about to slam the door shut when Happy's eyes met a towel-clad Toby. Her name was forming on his lips when she turned on her heel and stormed out of his apartment building.