Hindsight is 20/20
norton94, Jan 26, 2020
- Description:
- Mixed Media Monthly - October '15 main kit - TLP Collab
Well Read Frippery by Bella Gypsy (flowers)
Starlight {Dressed Down} by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs (template)
896 words
I met Darren on the last day of 11th grade at a beach party with my friends celebrating school being out. This was a stressful time for me with friendships, so he was a welcomed relief from the drama. I think we were both taken with each other and eager to spend time together. I loved how close he was to his family, including grandparents. He was great with kids. He was different than most Cali boys since he was from the East Coast. His family had relocated for his parent’s work when he was in 8th grade. He was confident and mysterious. He made me feel so special. We hung out all summer and it was amazing. The next year was also amazing. We spent time with our families. We talked about dreams of the future together. We traveled to NY and CT to visit his extended family there. He even asked me if we could elope in Atlantic City, which although romantic, was crazy enough I knew better. When I went off to college, he got a little jealous, which caused some arguments. I came home many weekends, and he came to visit me others. His brother was dating a girl who went to UC Irvine too. We became friends. Darren was going to junior college at home and I think he felt left behind and lesser than. He started hanging out with new friends who were using drugs. One weekend I was home and he left my house to drive home. He always called me when he got home, but this night he didn’t. It had been way too long, I really was concerned and called his parent’s number to check with his parents. He wasn’t there either. It turns out he had pulled over to use drugs on his way home and fell asleep in the car. It was a wake up call that he needed help. To get out of that bad decision making and away from that group, he ended up moving down to Orange County to be closer to me at school and go to a junior college down there. Secretly he was driving back to LA to get drugs. I got a call from him in jail. He had been pulled over and they found drugs in his car. Things got worse, because eventually we came to find out he was not attending classes, and he basically failed all the classes because he didn’t drop them either. He promised to get help, to stop the drugs, to better himself. I believed him. I continued to stay with him. I persevered in my classes. I continued to avoid parties and nights out with friends, because it was too much for his jealous streak and the questions would be too much. I drove home most weekends to be there with him. He went to work for a car insurance office and was doing well… until he went back downtown to buy more drugs and a street dealer tossed all the drugs into his car when a police car pulled up. He was arrested for possession with intent to sell because there were so many individually wrapped balloons of drugs in his car. He went to jail for 6 months. I went to court to stand by him. I stood in line at the LA County Men’s Jail with parents, wives, and kids, as well as some people who frightened me - –all with something in common. We were there to visit people we loved. I stayed with him and lived with the humiliation of having to tell my roommates. I graduated from college. He was working and clean, but things were different. I was changing, growing, and– starting my nursing program and my future. He was stagnating and still insecure about that. I just couldn’t do this anymore. I didn’t believe in our future anymore. It was heartbreaking, but I did what I had to do and broke it off. He called my brother and begged him to get me to call. I did and explained again it was really over. He called me incessantly for a week or two, and then it stopped. Peace. About a month later I got a call from him in jail again. His parents were not bailing him out, and he wanted me to. I told him I would not bail him out or loan him money. It was over. I spent about the next year beating myself up for being so stupid and co-dependent to stay so long. Why did I throw away having a college experience? I had graduated without going to even one college party. Fast forward 18 months. I had dated some, but really was tired of the “dating scene” at all of 22 years old. I think I’m a relationship person deep down. I shared my frustration with my friend Wendi and asked if her serious boyfriend had any nice friends. She thought of one I might like. She got back to me with news that he was interested in a blind date too. We’ve now been married over 25 years. That friend who set us up?… Oh that’s just the girl who dated Darren’s brother. I NEVER WOULD HAVE MET MY HUSBAND IF NOT FOR HAVING BEEN THROUGH THE STRUGGLES WITH DARREN. In hindsight... Things happen for a reason.
-
There are no comments to display.
-
- Category:
- Pollywog Team Layouts
- Uploaded By:
- norton94
- Date:
- Jan 26, 2020
- View Count:
- 270
- Comment Count:
- 2
EXIF Data
- File Size:
- 243.6 KB
- Mime Type:
- image/jpeg
- Width:
- 700px
- Height:
- 700px
Note: EXIF data is stored on valid file types when a photo is uploaded. The photo may have been manipulated since upload (rotated, flipped, cropped etc).