the lehman house [15]

Amos smoking his pipe at Nate's place

Monday. My throat’s getting better, but the virus has crawled into my right ear and is murdering me. My left ear keeps making popping noises. I didn’t head back to Cincinnati till about 5:00, spent the evening with Sarah, watching “Arrested Development.” Genna and I have our breakup talk tomorrow.

Tuesday. I barely slept at all last night, my right tonsil so swollen that it was hard to breathe. I went to Dayton to see Joe, and he put me on steroids. Within hours the pain was gone, and I could eat and drink! I’ve lost 15 pounds in five days, all due to mono. When I got back to Cincinnati, Genna came over and we had our breakup talk. Why did I break up with her? She’s controlling and manipulative (or at least tries to be), she’s mean, she’s given me no care or compassion since I’ve been sick, and this shows a lot, and I just don’t like her anymore. The conclusion: we aren’t going to work out. Points she made: I’m disrespectful (but without any actual examples, this one seems a bit shady), I’m dishonest, and I’m not mature enough for a relationship. One of those (#2) is kinda true. She cried and yelled and I was compassionate. As she left, she looked back and snapped, “I’m probably going to fuck my ex Spencer this weekend.” I didn’t get jealous, and that pissed her off. She hates the fact we never had sex.

Wednesday. I’M SINGLE! I never thought I’d write that with such enthusiasm. But you know what? Being single DEFINITELY has its perks. I woke early, took my steroids, and went to visit Jessie at work. She’s glad I broke up with Genna. Mom got back from a stint in Georgia and wanted me to visit her, so I did. All of us—Mom, Dad, Grandma, Ams and I—went out to eat at La’Rosa’s. It’s nice to be able to eat again; I love me some steroids. I got back to Cincinnati around 11:00, watched TV with Sarah, and went to bed.

Thursday. Genna went psycho on me over text messages. I ignored her. I’m not obligated to deal with her shit anymore. Jessie and I got lunch at Thai Taste. “I miss Sa-Rah!” she kept exclaiming. Back at the house I cleaned and relaxed. I spent most of the afternoon working on my sermon for Sunday (preaching at Kyle’s church). The sunset was beautiful: storm clouds laced with shafts of dying light.

Friday. Genna called me late last night: “I’m trying to find ways to hurt you.” I told her Good Luck. My nonchalance pissed her off. Jess Lynn called, and we talked for a bit. “Why do you always date the crazy ones?” she asked. Six girlfriends later, I wish I knew. She invited me to come to Liberty to visit her. Trista G. called me and we talked for a bit. I went by Tri-Health this evening and fiddled around online until Sarah got of work, and then we went to ½ Price Books at the Kenwood Mall. She went to see a movie with her friend Justin, and Ams & I went to Nate’s new house for a bonfire. Rob, Mandy, Mandy’s sister Bethany, and Amos were there. Good times, lots of fun.

Saturday. I slept in till noon and did laundry. Gambill came by. It was good to see him. We sat in the living room and talked for about an hour. Around 8:00 Ams and I went to the Hilltop. It was CRAWLING with new freshmen. I finished my sermon for tomorrow, hung out with Kugler and Bullard. Bullard’s sister is a freshman; Ams said I should go after Bullard’s sister like he went after mine. “Um, no.”

Sunday. At 8:30 I met Kyle at Restoration Hall, and we headed north to Northern Hills Christian Church where I preached a sermon on Kindness & Goodness for $200. Back home I had chicken and potatoes for lunch and then joined Gambill to help Jessie move into Alumni. Mom and Dad came over: we set up the window blinds and I mowed the yard. Genna started texting me, really mean shit, so I told her to stop. She begged me to talk with her on the phone, and I promised her I would. I called Mandy K. for a bit, it was good to talk to her for a while, so good to hear her voice. Her dad died three weeks ago, and she *seems* to be handling it together, but it’s thrown her world into chaos. I ate dinner and went to the Hilltop Opening Meeting from 5:30-8:30. They need a few shifts covered in the dining hall this week, so I volunteered. Back at the Lehman House, Jessie and her friend Aubrey came over, and Bullard and Brian W. joined us, too.