[background] My best friend from high school broke up with a long time boyfriend. She's going to re-invest her money and is looking for property while living in my extra bedroom. I love this girl. She's the only person that knew me before that I still keep in touch with. We've always been close, but ya know how it is living with someone. They see you, warts and all. She's always known about Straight, obviously, but like all of our friends no one can understand it unless they've lived it.]
Anyway, she read Help At Any Cost about a week ago, has been living with me talking about it and even asked her mom about it. Turns out, they almost put her in but said no when they were told they couldn't speak with her on first phase. Her father worked for Honeywell and that was a big source of inmates through the early EAP programs. My dad heard about it through the St. Pete Times EAP.
I was sitting here tonight with this friend and my youngest daughter. I was telling them about some of the adventures I've had with a friend over at Newton's house. All of a sudden, she starts crying and this is a woman who just does NOT cry. She's one of the toughest broads I know. I didn't get what was going on and she finally said that she just felt so bad that I went through all of that. I was the 'lightweight' of our group of friends. No one understood what happened and least of all why it was me out of all of us. She said "I had no idea. You just didn't deserve that. I can't believe what they did to you".. She had no idea what happened or to what extent things ended up until she's been living with us and read Maia's book.
I can't tell you what that did for me. To have someone that knew me before, knew what I was like, saw what it took.....to have her see that validated something in me that hadn't been acknowledged or considered before. It felt like another hole was filled. I went over and hugged her for about 2 minutes and cried. Relief though, not sadness this time. Something lifted.
God I wish I had the talent and patience to write like some of you. This was really amazing and I just can't tell it right.
Wow, one extreme to the other with two polar opposite friends.