Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83244 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
My words hung between us, making the air feel even heavier. He looked out across the water, watching the waves crash along the bank, and after a moment, he turned back to me and said, “You’re not leaving me.”
“It feels like I am.”
“No, you’re just going to finish what you started.” His voice was quiet but certain. “It’s what your parents want, and…”
“My parents can get over it.”
“This isn’t about them.”
“Then, what is it about?”
“You,” he answered. “This is something you’ve always wanted, and there’s no way I’m going to let you give up on your dream. You've worked too damn hard to walk away now.”
“I can find somewhere closer… I could do it online.”
“It isn’t the same.”
“I want to be here with you.”
His jaw flexed, and I thought I was getting through to him. And then, he hit me with the hardest punch yet. “I’m not going anywhere, Brooke. I’ll be here when you get done, and then, we can start our lives together without any regrets.”
He smiled, but there was sadness hiding behind it. This was going to be hard on him, too, but deep down, I knew he was right. I needed to do this. So, I let out a breath and said, “You promise you’ll wait for me?”
“Absolutely. Nothing could take me away.”
“I’m scared.”
He took my hand in his and inched a little closer. “I love you, Brooke.”
“I know, but…”
“I wasn’t done,” he interrupted. “I love you too damn much to let you throw away your dreams because you’re worried about me. You’re not going to lose me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” I started to tear up when he said, “I’ll call every night, and I’ll come see you every chance I get. And you’ll come home on breaks, and we can even email. Whatever it takes.”
I nodded.
“We’ll figure it out.” He used the pad of his thumb to brush my tears away. “This thing we got… it isn’t gonna disappear because you’re at some school two hours away. We’re more than that.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
“And you’ll always answer when I call.”
“I still gotta work, but yeah, I’ll answer when I can.”
“And you’ll really visit?”
“Every chance I get.”
“You won’t forget me?”
“I couldn’t if I tried.” He leaned forward until his forehead rested against mine. “I love you… You’re my girl. No way, I’m going to ever forget you or what we have.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” He leaned back. “That mean you’ll go?”
“Yeah, I’ll go.”
“You sure?”
“No.” I laughed, wiping more tears from my face. “But I’ll go.”
“That’s my girl.” He gave me a quick kiss before saying, “You’re gonna be one hell of a social worker someday.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so.”
He kept his word. We both did, in the beginning.
I could still remember how excited I would get when I saw his truck pull into my dorm parking lot and how my chest would tighten whenever I got one of his late-night phone calls that lasted until one of us fell asleep. And how I always smiled whenever I got one of his texts.
Then, things started to change.
It was subtle at first. A missed weekend because I had a big paper to write or a big test coming up. A phone call cut short because I had a study session, or he had to work late. We always said the right things, ‘I’ll call tomorrow and I love you’, but days became weeks.
Then, weeks became months.
Our calls became shorter, and our visits grew farther apart. And then, somewhere along the way, there was nothing left but silence. Just thinking about it was making my chest ache.
I was almost at the verge of tears when something smacked me hard against my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Ow!” I complained.
“My bad.” Gloria tossed a new tennis ball into the air, catching it in her hand. “You were in another world… I had to do something to bring you back to reality.”
“What?”
“You’ve been standing there staring into space for the last five minutes.”
“Oh.” Heat crawled up my cheeks. “I’m sorry about that. I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”
Gloria’s smile faded. “You okay?”
The question caught me off guard.
I liked Gloria. She was a good friend who always listened when I had a problem with work, and she gave advice and looked out for me whenever she could. But this wasn’t work. And I was in no mood to share the sordid details of my love life.
I forced a smile as I said, “I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep much last night.”
“Work getting to you?”
“As always.”
“You have to learn to leave work at the office.”
“I wish it were that easy.”
“You’ll burn yourself out if you don’t.”
“I know. I know.”
I’d heard the same warnings from professors, supervisors, and just about every social worker who’d been working for more than a couple of weeks. Build boundaries. Protect your space.