01-13-2015, 04:25 PM
Lucas was a good listener. He didn't interrupt, but kept his eyes on Calvin the whole time. Reliving his past was scary. It opened old wounds and Calvin could feel the depression clawing at his mind, trying to force him back to the bottle. Lucas' calm demeanor helped and the simple touch on the shoulder brought some stability back to Calvin's mind. Calvin listened to Lucas explain what would happen next. He heard every word - their friendship - did Lucas even think of Calvin as a friend - would be rough at times. Lucas was telling him that he would be hard on him because that's what he needed.
Most of all, Calvin understood that the man had been where he was. Maybe Lucas had even had the same exact conversation with him. Calvin felt a stab of guilt for not telling him about the Wolfman, but he wasn't sure he could yet. He would in time, but now just didn't seem right.
The hobby idea caught Calvin's ear. He needed something to do when the times got really rough - something to focus on. He remembered a guitar he had picked up shortly before his mother passed away. He had always intended to learn how to play. Unfortunately, he sold it with most of his assets. Maybe the guys would give him a loan to get an instrument and get started. He hated asking them for money, but he didn't want to follow Lucas and get involved in martial arts - with his struggles, he didn't think it was a good idea.
"I can get a hobby. I always wanted to learn how to play guitar. Maybe now would be a good time to start."
Lucas gave him his contact information and Calvin responded by giving Lucas his own.
"I hope you know how much this means to me - to not have to do this alone. I might have a lot of questions at first - so I might call a lot. I hope you don't mind. I'm going to be very honest - I'm fighting pretty hard right now - I still want to drink. I know it won't magically go away, but it's difficult. Guess I shouldn't go to bars anymore."
He hadn't meant it to be funny, but it triggered a small laugh. It had been a long time since he had laughed and it felt good to do so.
Most of all, Calvin understood that the man had been where he was. Maybe Lucas had even had the same exact conversation with him. Calvin felt a stab of guilt for not telling him about the Wolfman, but he wasn't sure he could yet. He would in time, but now just didn't seem right.
The hobby idea caught Calvin's ear. He needed something to do when the times got really rough - something to focus on. He remembered a guitar he had picked up shortly before his mother passed away. He had always intended to learn how to play. Unfortunately, he sold it with most of his assets. Maybe the guys would give him a loan to get an instrument and get started. He hated asking them for money, but he didn't want to follow Lucas and get involved in martial arts - with his struggles, he didn't think it was a good idea.
"I can get a hobby. I always wanted to learn how to play guitar. Maybe now would be a good time to start."
Lucas gave him his contact information and Calvin responded by giving Lucas his own.
"I hope you know how much this means to me - to not have to do this alone. I might have a lot of questions at first - so I might call a lot. I hope you don't mind. I'm going to be very honest - I'm fighting pretty hard right now - I still want to drink. I know it won't magically go away, but it's difficult. Guess I shouldn't go to bars anymore."
He hadn't meant it to be funny, but it triggered a small laugh. It had been a long time since he had laughed and it felt good to do so.