Another Lifetime

Chapter 5

DeAnna Kastell

"So I'm telling Jessie about my little problem," I told his voicemail, "and it might go terribly or it might go really well but I think I need someone other than group, my family and you to know, so you might want to prepare for a relapse if my best friend rejects me and tells everyone but she probably won't," I said and I spotted her walked rtoward me, "got to go, X, I love you so much it hurts not to be together but we both know that for now, it's how this needs to be," I said and hung on him.

"Why are we here?" She asked me, not trying to get the answer immediately.

"Because what I want to show you is inside," I told her and walked into AA with her following. My usual meeting was on Sunday night and that was just for NA.

"Hey Dea," Chris said with a smile and I hugged him then he saw Jessie.

"I brought a friend," I told him and Jessie still looked confused. "Chris, this is Jessie, Jessie, this is Chris," I introduced, "she wanted to know what I was hiding about my life in New York, so I brought her here," I told him.

"Stephie called me earlier about wanting to switch," he told me, "I understand your decision and I'm still here if you need to talk," he assured me and I smiled a little, "now go jam a doughnut in your gob then listen to group," he told me and I did as I was told, "it's nice to meet you Jessie, Dea's told us a lot about you," he said and I took a seat, cramming an iced doughnut into my face.

"So what is this?" Jessie asked me as she sat down besides me.

"You'll work it out," I mumbled around my mouthful of doughnut as Chris whistled sharply, to start the meeting.

Stephie, Ms Clarita, sat down next to me, "so you brought Jessie," she noted and Jessie obviously felt awkward.

"Okay, craziest thoughts you've had about your disease," Chris said and I swallowed my doughnut so I could share.

"What if I hadn't been the youngest," I thought aloud then realised I'd forgotten to introduce myself, "oh right yeah, I'm DeAnna and I'm an addict," I introduced with a small wave.

"Hi DeAnna," the group chorused back and Jessie realised what was going on.

"Want to explain more?" Chris asked me.

"I had a hardcore Catholic upbringing; I wasn't wanted but they'd never have an abortion, so they had a daughter they didn't want," I said and twisted the promise ring, which had a new meaning now.

"I wish Benedicto had never been born, so it was just me and Francesco," I said and I really wished it was. Benedicto had been the start of my problem with the way he treated me.

My phone went off, with Frank's ringtone, snapping me out of my thoughts and my share, "sorry, my brother's calling," I said and got up to go take it, and Jessie followed me.

"Hey Frank," I said calmly.

"Are you at AA right now?" He asked me, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, you interrupted my share," I informed him and Jessie stood next to me.

"Can you stay around Jessie's tonight?" He asked me.

"Frank, what's happened?" I asked him, "if someone has damaged any of my work then I will get my knife and gut them with it then maybe cut off their fingers for dramatic effect," I warned him and pulled it out of my back pocket, gripping the handle tightly.

"No one touched your secret hidden art room because they couldn't find the entrance to your secret hidden art room," he assured me and I put it back into my pocket, without flipping the blade out once.