“I’m alright.”
“I can tell you’re not, but that’s okay.”
I stand there and look at the old man for a minute. The wisdom he holds is set deep into the lines of his face. If anyone can give
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me sound advice, it’s him.
“Can I ask you a question, Lenard?”
“Of course, ya can.”
“I’ve been a mess since Riley left.”
“Oh yeah? I haven’t noticed,” he says sarcastically and laughs.
“I know. But I don’t know what to do. I feel like she took my heart with her. How do I get past this?”
“I hate to sound cliche, but time heals. You gotta distract yourself.”
“Something to distract me, huh?”
Riley was my distraction, so now I need to find another one.
That’s not frustrating at all.
“Yup. You got friends, don’t ya?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Go do something with them. Keep yourself busy.”
“I guess.”
I’ve already blown the guys off twice since Riley left. When Chris told me I wasn’t the same person anymore, it hurt. I know we grow and change, but it’s been a little drastic for me, I guess.
“Don’t worry though. I know that’s easier said than done. But maybe Riley was here for a reason, and she wasn’t meant to stay.”
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I nod my head and push off the bar. Get her off my mind, don’t worry about her. Yeah, that should be super easy…NOT!
I pull my phone out of my pocket and look through my pictures one more time before deleting any that remind me of her. My thumb goes quickly, because I know if I don’t do it all right now, I won’t.
Once I am done, I turn my phone off and slide it back into my pocket and look up. Gennie is there, arms crossed, head cocked staring at me.
“I swear, it was a healthy move.”
“If you say so.”
“I turned it off. Promise. I won’t touch it again tonight.”
She nods her head and leaves the bar through the back.