the lehman house [38]

Monday. Dad came down to visit, and we got breakfast at Frisch’s. I had an egg and toast paired with orange juice. We talked about my fruitless job search, and he was actually quite understanding. “In this economy, it’s almost impossible to get a job.” He said come the end of April, when the lease at the Lehman House is finished, I can move back in with him and Mom. Sarah and Ams are planning on getting an apartment, asked if I wanted to join them. HELL NO. Another year of hell being around Sarah? No thanks! I went and visited Sarah on her break at Millennium, and we got Taco Bell for lunch. I got her a necklace from one of the cheap toy dispensers. Ams and I ate at O’Charley’s for lunch (her treat) and we talked about her drama with Chris and my drama with Sarah & Maggie.

Tuesday. Jessie came back to town for the fire-up of the winter semester. I visited her at Aroma’s and got a latte. Sarah and I were supposed to hang out at Starbucks tonight, but she was unreliable as always, so instead I went to Highlands with Jessie, Kugler, and Gambill.

Wednesday. I went to the Starbucks in Tusculum and did some reading. The barista girl flirted with me. I spent the day searching for jobs, running errands, and doing chores around the house. Sarah got dinner with Moose, and then the two of them came over and we all drank beer and took shots and played music. I was drunk and happy and carefree.

Thursday. I’ve come down with some sort of respiratory infection: awful coughing, itching lungs, difficulty breathing. And my body aches. I tried to eat lunch but couldn’t finish it. Jobst came over for a bit. When he left I went to Starbucks for coffee and to read, but I got tired and went home and took a hot bath and slept. Around 6:30 Jobst and I went to his depression support group. No one showed up except a cute girl named Allie. We waited ½ an hour, no one came, so I took Jobst home. I spent the evening at Roh’s Street Café with Rob, Mandy, Tony & Jessie.

Friday. Mandy K. is in town, and she stopped by. I fixed us some coffee and breakfast. She may be moving to Cincinnati soon, even has a place to live. Her sister Sarah got engaged and married. Her two brothers are engaged. It makes her lonely. “It’s not a race,” I told her. She went to visit other people, and when Sarah got home we paid her fee at Blockbuster and then went to Kroger for cold meds and tissues. I went to House Church at Rob & Mandy’s with Isaac, Amos and Jessie. We ate pizza, talked about God.

Saturday. I spent the day writing. Ams got me Chipotle for dinner. Jessie came over for a little bit. I signed up for an online dating service but so far no interest. I could be Sherlock Holmes: based upon several lines of evidence (too much to write down), I’ve deduced that on January 10 Sarah slept with a guy named Frank. It was a drunken act which she regrets. Frank regrets it, too, because he likes Katherine. Sarah & Katherine had a falling out which they healed on January 18, and now Frank & Katherine are dating.

Sunday. Jobst called for a pick-up from Cheviot, and I obliged. He bought me two packs of Basic 100s to say thanks. I spent the day writing and drinking coffee. Sarah came home late and made a bunch of comments about how she can never find a good guy, and I got mad and went on a drive to vent. When I got home I wanted to get drunk so bad but am out of liquor. So I drank wine instead, and it worked like a charm! “I’m afraid you’ll become an alcoholic,” Ams said.