Day 68: Tales Of Intolerable Friendships And Fixing Life
Day 68 Of How To Move On From A Man — 1LD
“If someone told you not to worry about something, would you do what they say? Or would demand to know why?”
Sophia was staring at her phone screen. It was a Friday, and I met her for lunch.
I left James behind at 1 Lovelock Drive, mainly in silent protest of the fact he did the same thing to me all week. It wasn’t the most mature response, granted.
But I wasn’t going to accept precedence where he fucked off without telling me, leaving the business in my hands, and whereby that was ok.
I waited for some sort of reaction from Sophia. Nothing.
“Ok, maybe if I put it like this. If one of your staff told you they were leaving for the day, and it was none of your business, would you accept that crap?”
Sophia looked up from her phone. “My staff member did what?!”
I grabbed her phone and placed it in the middle of the table. Sometimes the world offered stark reminders that people my age, in their mid-thirties, didn’t grow up with this technology. And we were making up for it now.
“Are you serious? I’m listening, I’m listening.”
No, you aren’t, I thought. But ever since I brought up James when we first sat down to lunch, Sophia was avoiding this conversation. She picked up her phone and started scrolling furiously.
And before that, her focus waned when I talked about how striking the similarities were between Taylor and Douglas.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see history was repeating itself.
That being Sophia not wanting a bar of my life.
And then, out of nowhere, came her assertion.
“Look, I can’t sort out this beef between you and James. I’m not here to play fix-it for your life, ok?”
Staring at Sophia, I could see my once placid friend turn irate. She was bubbling with anger and frustration, all directed at me. I wanted to pretend it wasn’t me driving her to the point of fury, but it was me. Or something to do with me. Or all of me.
I had known Sophia for most of my life. She had never snapped like this before.
What was happening to my friends? Had I become that intolerable?
Pushing her phone towards her, I smiled. “I’m sorry. I’m just venting. How’s Malcolm?”
I lied, though. I wasn’t sorry. I felt crushed. And I’m surprised she didn’t know it, too.
You’re reading The Andie Chronicles, the 2023 romance-fiction series from the 1 Lovelock Drive (1LD) universe.
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