Trying To Recover

Eddie didn’t say a word for a really long time. He stared at me, breathing heavily, his booze soaked brain trying to figure out what was happening here and the stunned synapses in his brain firing off to make the only connection that was comfortable to him.

“What game are you playing here?”

To the mind of Eddie Young the only people who exist in the world are the ones who are out to get him. The fact that I had this information at all meant that someone had to have told me that, and the only reason for that was to hurt him.

Because, as far as he was concerned, in all his life no one had ever helped Eddie Young.

“No game,” I shook my head, shaking off the regret that I’d said too much, or trying to at least, “I’m too tired to play games, Eddie.”

“Who told you all of that?” he went on as if I’d said nothing at all, his head on a swivel looking for the hidden cameras no doubt, “How do you know that? What is going on here?”

“Eddie,” I said cautiously, taking a step forward and trying not to spook him.

“No,” he reared back suddenly, swinging his arms defensively and jerking away, “No I don’t know what the fuck this is and what the fuck you’re planning but I’m not going to be a part of it. I don’t like this. What is… How did you know all of that?”

I looked over at him, my mind racing as I tried to find a way to put this right.

“Who are you?” he asked, wonder and suspicion in his voice.

That made me laugh, a short sharp bark that turned into a chuckle and then made me nearly double over from the effort of it bubbling out of me.

I mean where was I even supposed to start with a question like that? What part of who I was and the journey I had to here would even begin to explain it to him in any kind of reasonable way? What could I say that he would even believe?

And before I even got the chance he filled in the details for himself.

“My parents sent you,” he said breathlessly.

Admittedly, blinking in disbelief and trying to hold back laughter probably wasn’t the best path here.

“They did,” he doubled down, “didn’t they?”

“How would that even make any sense?” I said, bending up and wiping away tears of laughter, “I was just telling you that I was trying to get you on a different path than the one you’re on right now, which is the one that they put you on.”

“No,” he insisted, “This is some kind of reverse psychology bullshit. You’re trying to get me to do what they want me to.”

I sighed, exasperated, “Eddie. Your parents didn’t send me. Also how in the hell would they hire me? What kind of job would that even be? Where do you list for that opening?”

He shook his head as if he was shaking off demons, “Don’t start trying to change things. Stop messing with my head. If they didn’t send you then who did.”

“No one sent me, Eddie,” I said, “I’m a real person.”

“Bullshit,” he insisted, “No. You know too much about me. You’ve been spying on me.”

“You’re not special enough to be spied on, bud.”

“So how the fuck do you know so much? Did you hack my computer? Have you been following me? None of this makes any fucking sense at all.”

“You’re telling me,” I agreed.

But Eddie wasn’t listening now. The panic was welling up in him. His eyes were going wild and he was looking for a way out and fast.

I took a few steps forward, still trying to calm him, but it had the opposite effect.

“Stay away from me,” he said, “You’re not just some bitch, you’re fucking crazy. What the fuck is going on? This is worse than I thought. There is something… something…”

“Eddie,” I said, reaching out while he pulled away.

“Get away from me you fucking freak. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

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