Part 16

It's been a year since the accident that took Jeffrey's life. I'd say that everything is back to normal, but normal doesn't exist anymore. The nightmares stopped shortly after Sid and I became a couple. Having his arms encircle me in their warm embrace was very effective at driving them away. Sid had “moved in” to my bedroom since it was the larger of the two that our apartment had to offer. We bought a bigger bed that we slept in together each night. Waking up with him beside me in the morning was the most wonderful feeling. There were still days when I felt a dark, deep depression creeping over me, but with Sid's hand in mine it was hard to feel sad.

It still felt strange to call Sid my boyfriend. My relationship with him was so different from any I'd had before. He wasn't just my boyfriend; he was my best friend, my partner, my other half. He was my push.

I told Melanie first. We'd become closer since Jeffrey's death. She was the only member of his family that I really liked. Melanie always wanted to get together for shopping sprees and spa days, two of my least favorite activities. I grudgingly went along just to make her happy. I think she was a bit disappointed with me; I wasn't exactly the BFF she'd been hoping for. I'm not the type who wants or feels the need to have an excessive amount of friends. But it was nice to have one girlfriend. I'd never had one before. I'd feared that my relationship with Sid would drive a wedge between us, but she was excited for me. She'd wanted me to move on and find happiness.

My father was a different story. He wasn't quite as tickled by the news as Melanie was. I believe his exact words to me when I told him were “This is the very reason I set you up with Jeffrey. Sid's a nice boy, Lennie, and he's always been a good friend to you, but he's not the kind of boy I want for you. You're not thinking about your future the way I am. Sid doesn't have the qualities that you should be looking for in a long term partner.”

“Like what, Dad? An endless supply of cash? You can't base a relationship on money. The bottom line is I'm never going to find anyone else who makes me feel the way that Sid does.”

“He's only going to hold you back.”

“He's not holding me back from anything. You should be happy for me, Dad. I'm an adult now, and I'm making my own life decisions. After all, you're the one who wanted me to be independent.”

We didn't talk for nearly a month after that. I was stubborn; I refused be the first to reestablish contact. Eventually, he called me and we talked things out. He still wasn't thrilled with my choice, but he accepted it. That was really all that I'd wanted, and more than I'd expected.