Surprisingly, Jim did manage to fall asleep eventually. Of course, that didn't change the fact that he had gotten very little of it by the time his alarm went off at six in the morning. Jim was so exhausted that he wasn't even sure if it was safe for him to drive. Julia, though still half-asleep, offered to give Jim a ride to school. Jim turned this offer down as he did not want Chris staying at their house by himself.775Please respect copyright.PENANANMa62NhZkK
Thankfully, Jim didn't crash the car on the way to school. However, he did remain sluggish in class and had a very hard time focusing. Fortunately for him, Jim's professor could tell that Jim was feeling extremely tired and offered to meet up with him at a later time to explain the lecture to him again, much to Jim's delight. The professor assumed that Jim's baby was the reason he was tired, which Jim just went along with. Jim did not at all feel like explaining the situation with Chris to anybody.
Jim arrived home at about nine-thirty (once again, he felt lucky about not wrecking his car while driving home). Chris, fortunately, was still asleep and Julia was in the living room holding Cassie and watching television. Jim walked into the room, gave both Julia and Cassie a kiss and headed to his room to take a nap. Jim said very little to Julia while he was in the room, but she perfectly understood. At this point, Jim looked like he was practicing for his Night of the Living Dead audition.
Jim didn't wake up until about two in the afternoon. Even then, he still felt a little sluggish. However, being only a little tired was what he was generally used to. Being a College Teaching Assistant, Jim had a physics lab he needed to get to at four-thirty. First, however, he needed to deal with Chris.
Jim walked down to the kitchen. Chris was now awake and eating a bowl of cereal in the dining room (making quite a lot of obnoxious sounds as he did so). Julia was also sitting at the table and drinking a glass of orange juice.
"You feel rested now?" Julia asked.
"Sort of," Jim said, yawning. "I now can least keep my eyes open without straining myself."
"Jim!" Chris shouted excitingly with a mouthful of Cheerios. "How's it going, man?"
"Fine," Jim said, trying to ignore Chris' atrocious manners.
Jim sat down next to Julia at the table. Julia and Chris had been in the middle of a conversation before Jim arrived in the room. Chris was no longer drunk, so he was now at least talking like a regular human being. He had been telling Julia about what he had been doing with his life and hearing about it didn't make Jim feel any better about him.
According to Chris, he had never gone to college at all and had been doing nothing but working odd jobs for the past eight years. He was still living with his parents and spent most of his time drinking, smoking, and hanging out at bars and strip clubs with all of the friends that he had made since Jim and Julia had last seen him. What bothered Jim most about all of this was how calm and unconcerned Chris sounded as he told them all of this. Chris' tone of voice as he talked to Jim and Julia sounded like somebody who was telling their spouse about a typical day of work. It was as if Chris just assumed that Jim and Julia talked to people like this all the time and they considered this another typical lifestyle.
However, Jim wasn't at all surprised when Chris told them all these things. After what happened last night, Jim would have been quite shocked if Chris was living any type of successful lifestyle. At one point, Jim asked Chris why he had given up on his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon (basically a more polite way of asking: "what caused you to mess up your life in the first place?") and he merely replied: "I'm not sure. My memory's pretty bad." This was quite funny, as Chris was able to describe a game of beer pong he had played with his friends five years earlier with plenty of detail.
Chris had been talking for about ten minutes when Cassie, who had been taking a nap, started to cry.
"I'll take care of it," Julia said. She then left the room, leaving Jim and Chris alone together.
Here goes nothing, Jim thought, cringing slightly.
"Chris, there's something I need to tell you," Jim said.
"What's 'sup?" Chris asked.
Jim took a deep breath and spoke.
"Chris, you need to get help. You need to get help right now. I have no idea what happened to you all those years ago and apparently you don't either, but I won't put up with this new act of yours for much longer. I need you to get help today."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Your alcoholism, you're smoking addiction, you're love of partying. I am not going to put up with any of that in my house. Either you get help now or you leave and don't come back until you get help. You got that?"
"Wait, I thought you said I could stay here as long as I don't drink or smoke inside the house. Was I hearing things?"
"Chris, people that love to get drunk and go to strip clubs late at night are not people I consider friends. Those are people I prefer to stay away from. Far away from. The only reason I even bothered to let you in the house last night was because it was cold and you didn't have a jacket. Had you come over this morning, I would have told you to forget it."
"It wasn't that cold last night. It actually felt pretty good."
"You were too drunk to even notice anything that was going on around you."
"Jim, I don't get cold that easily. Hell, I could probably run around naked while it's snowing and feel perfectly fine."
"Look, the point I'm trying to make is that you're not the same person that I called my friend eight years ago. The Chris I knew back then does not act like the Chris I know now. It's great that we get to finally see each other after so long, but I'm so uncomfortable with your new behavior that any excitement I have is overshadowed. I would love to spend time with you again, Chris. But you need to change first."
Chris didn't say anything for a moment. When he finally spoke, he had a slightly angered tone of voice.
"So, we're not friends anymore?"
"What? Chris, that's not what I said."
"Wow. Just wow. I drove all the way from Houston just to see y'all. I've really missed y'all. I would've made that trip a long time if I had had the money. I get here and you aren't even happy to see me. All you've done is complained about my lifestyle. Something I don't get enough of from random people practically every day."
"Chris, I'm telling you those things because I care about you..."
"You're supposed to be my best friend and the only thing you tell me after eight years ago is the same thing I hear from the freaking McDonald's cashier that I met the other day. Seriously, wow."
"Chris..."
"It's bad enough that the people around me back at home can't accept me for who I am. You're supposed to be my best friend and you can't accept me either. I told you that I wouldn't smoke or drink when I'm around you, but apparently that's not good enough for you. You just decide to push me away because you don't like the things that I like. I guess differences are just too much for you."
"Chris! If your best friend suddenly became a serial killer and promised he wouldn't 'do the things he liked' around you, but continued to do so away from you, would you be comfortable being around your friend any longer?"
"So now you're comparing me to a serial killer. That makes things a lot better."
"That's just how your logic sounds."
"Whatever. All I'm getting from this is that because we like different things, we can't be friends anymore. It's like those years we spent together in high school mean absolutely nothing to you now. You just can't handle change. Well, I guess that's fine. If you can't accept me for who I am, then I don't see any reason why we should be friends any longer. I guess that also means there's no reason for me to stay here any longer."
"Chris, come on..."
Chris stood up and wiped off his cereal and milk covered face. He then did a "goodbye" motion with his hand and turned to leave the room. Just as he was about to walk out, Julia entered the room. She held Cassie in her arms.
"Oh hi, Julia," Chris said. "I was just about to leave."
"Why?" Julia asked. "Where are you going?"
"Well, because Jim doesn't want me around anymore, I was just going to head back home."
"What?"
"Jim is now uncomfortable being around me, so we can't be friends anymore. If you still want to be friends, we can call every so often, but I can't stay here because Jim doesn't want to be around me. I'll see you later, Julia."
"NO!"
Julia shouted so loudly that Cassie became startled and started to cry. Jim ran over to Julia and pulled Cassie out of her arms. Julia had an overly shocked look on her face.
"How could you treat Chris like that, Jim?!" Julia yelled. "I thought we had an agreement?!"
"I just told him he needed to attend rehab!" Jim shouted, cradling and rocking Cassie. "I thought we had agreed on that as well!"
"But I'm happy with my life, Jim!" Chris said. "You just want me to change because you can't handle it yourself! Well, guess what? I'm not going to rehab. There's no reason for me to. I'm doing perfectly fine. If going to rehab is required just so I can be your friend again, then I have no idea why I would want to be your friend again at all!"
Chris tried to leave the room, but Julia threw her arms around him.
"Please don't leave, Chris!" Julia shouted. "Please!"
"What on earth is wrong with you, Julia?!" Jim shouted. Cassie was now wailing loudly.
Julia turned to Jim. Tears started to flow down her face.
"You said you wouldn't kick him out, Jim! Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?"
"I didn't kick him out! He chose to leave on his own! I just told him he needed to get help."
"You told me that you didn't want to be friends with me again until I went to rehab," Chris said. "You told me you wouldn't have let me in the house had I come over this morning. I'd rather not be friends with people who tell me things like that."
"Chris, you are still my friend. I just want you to make better choices with your life."
"You only want me to change because you are uncomfortable being around me. That's exactly what you told me."
"Jim, Chris just wanted to spend time with us again after not seeing us for a long time," Julia said. "He even said he would not drink or smoke in the house. What makes you feel uncomfortable?"
What a mess. Jim already had had a feeling things would go from bad to worse the instant he saw Chris' disheveled appearance. He couldn't even imagine how much worse things could go from here. At this point, he had half a mind to just push Chris out the door and tell him to never come back (although it didn't seem Chris would have a problem with doing so). Jim could then continue on with his life and forget about him. Of course, that wouldn't solve his issues with Julia. She would more than likely never even stop complaining about Chris if he were to leave forever. What was up with Julia and Chris? Why the sudden strange obsession over him? Wasn't she smart enough to know that his mannerisms were not safe in a house with a baby?
"Chris whether or not you do those things in the house, it doesn't change the fact that that is your nature! That's what scares me the most! Haven't you seen all the news reports? When you have an alcoholic in the house, there's a risk they will act in ways that are beyond unpleasant. It can cause them to do...well...heinous things. I'm not saying that something like that will happen for sure, but there's still that risk. I don't even want to risk any of those incidents happening at my house. Also, imagine how much trouble you can get yourself into if any one of those incidents were to happen. Chris, you absolutely need to change your ways. I'm telling you for your own good."
"My 'nature?!' 'An alcoholic in the house?!' Now you're making me sound like an animal! That's it, I'm done."
Chris tried to leave the room again, but Julia grabbed him by the arm.
"Chris, please don't leave! Please don't leave!"
"Julia!" Jim shouted. "Seriously, what's the matter with you?"
"Julia, I told you we could stay in contact if you wanted," Chris said. "But I really can't stay here any longer."
"You said that you would stay in contact eight years ago!" Julia yelled as tears ran down her face. "And you didn't! I'm not waiting another eight years just to see you again! Chris, please don't leave!"
Julia threw her arms around Chris again, who was still trying to leave the room. Cassie was now screaming louder than ever. Jim felt like his migraine was coming back.
"Julia!" Jim shouted, trying not to sound angry. "I need you to calm down right now!"
For a moment, nobody said anything. Cassie's screaming was the only sound that was heard. Julia kept her arms around Chris, who was now just staring at her. Jim rocked and bounced Cassie in a desperate attempt to calm her down.
"Okay," Chris said, talking loudly over Cassie's screaming. "I'll stay. But I'm not going to rehab."
"WHAT?!" Jim shouted.
"Thank you, Chris!" Julia said with a teary smile. "Thank you!"
Chris pulled himself out of Julia's grip and grabbed a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket.
"I need a smoke," Chris said. He then left the room and walked out the front door.
For a moment, Jim stared at Julia, who was now smiling and wiping her face with a tissue.
"What is going on with you, Julia?" Jim asked her, sternly. "What is your deal with Chris?"
"Why are you so paranoid about him?" Julia said. ""He's our friend. He wouldn't act violent towards us."
"When someone is drunk, they can't control how they are acting. Aren't you smart enough to know that?"
"How would I know? I've never been drunk before!"
"Julia, you've been acting strange ever since Chris got here. I know he's our friend, but you've never been this...obsessed with him. Please tell me what's going on."
"I already told you. He and you are the first friends I've ever had and I've never wanted to lose either of you. I'm just afraid that if he leaves, we won't ever see him again."
"Julia, I really think there's something else going on that you aren't telling me."
"You're acting paranoid again! Stop it!"
Jim shook his head in frustration and rocked Cassie some more. Thankfully, she was now starting to calm down.
"Julia, how long do you expect Chris to stay here?" Jim asked, trying to sound calm. "He does have to leave at some point."
"He can stay for as long as he wants," Julia said.
"And how long will that be? He can't stay here forever."
"Well...he can buy a house somewhere close by. I know there's some houses for sale in our neighborhood."
"Julia, Chris doesn't have the money to buy a house. Didn't you hear him? The only money that he makes comes from odd jobs and he blows all that money on alcohol and cigarettes."
"Well...we can buy him a house!"
"We can't afford to buy a house either! In case you haven't noticed, we have our own house to pay for! And we have a baby! Also, even if we could afford to buy Chris a house, do you really think he would be able to live in it for long? Chris doesn't have the money to live by himself! That's why he was living with his parents! He wouldn't be able to pay bills, buy food, or pay for anything else you need when living on your own. Even if Chris did somehow manage to get an actual job, I'm sure he wouldn't use the money he makes wisely. I'm pretty sure having plenty of alcohol and going to strip clubs are much more important to him than paying bills. So then what? Are we going to buy him a house and pay for everything he needs for as long as he lives there...and pay for everything we need to deal with?! Get real, Julia!"
"Well...well..."
"Julia, face it. Chris cannot stay here in College Station for long. I doubt he'd be able to afford even staying in a motel. And no, I'm not paying for him to stay there, either. He will need to go back to Houston eventually. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is."
"What's wrong with him staying here? Besides the fact that he 'might act violent?'"
"I already said that Chris wouldn't be able to afford to buy food or pay bills. So, are we just going to let him stay and freeload off of us? I have no problem letting somebody stay at the house for a few days without contributing to the funds, but weeks? Months? Years? Nothing will change about Chris unless he goes to rehab, and he flat out refuses to do that. So basically, what you are saying is that he should live with his friends forever and never bother to pay them back. Julia, think through your implications!"
"If you really were his friend, you would let Chris to stay out of love and respect for your friend and not be expecting a reward in return."775Please respect copyright.PENANAN47tHjDbzJ
"Julia, seriously..."
"Jim..."
Julia's voice cracked once again. Her eyes began to fill with tears.
"Honey, please don't start with that," Jim said, groaning.
"Jim...please..."
"Julia, you seem to be so blinded by your past friendship with Chris, or rather, your obsession with him to even notice he has problems. You're smart enough to see what the issues are, yet you choose to ignore them. At least that's what I'm assuming."
"Jim..."
At this point, it was obvious that Julia wouldn't be satisfied until she got the answer she wanted. Jim knew that no matter how hard he tried to explain what the repercussions of the situation were, Julia would just continue to ignore them. Jim now just wanted to flat out tell her that it didn't matter what she thought and he was going to do what he thought was right no matter what. However, Jim cringed at what could result from this. Julia had been acting strange ever since Chris arrived and Jim didn't even want to think about how much worse she would get if he openly forced Chris to leave against her wishes. He doubted that this would be something that Julia would easily accept. Or, accept at all for that matter.
Jim had always been grateful for the wonderful family that had been given to him and could not imagine having that all be taken away from him. Even though Julia appeared to be having issues at the moment, Jim still loved her very much. He didn't even want to imagine all the anguish he would feel if she were suddenly gone. Jim's life was heading in the right direction up until Chris came over the previous night, and Jim wanted to keep it going in that direction as much as he could. If that meant pursuing his career and raising his family with an alcoholic freeloading off of him, then so be it. Jim had endured hardships while growing up. He now would just have to endure even more. He wouldn't like it, but at least he would still have his family.
"Fine," Jim said. "He can stay. But if he ever, and I mean ever, does anything awful because of his alcoholism, he's gone. Do you got that?"
Julia smiled and nodded. Jim doubted that she even continued listening to him after he said that Chris could stay.
"Thanks Honey," Julia said. "You're the best."
Jim wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't. Julia was happy now, so it was best to keep her that way.
"Chris left his bowl on the table," Julia said. "Let me go clean it up."
Julia gave both Jim and Cassie a kiss and walked over to the table and wiped down the area that Jim had been eating, which was covered with milk and cereal.
Cassie had now fallen back asleep. Jim rocked her some more and carried her back to her nursery.
After Cassie was back in her crib, Jim walked into the living room and collapsed onto the couch. There was so much going through his mind that he could hardly process it all. He started to imagine what the next several years would be like having Chris living at his house. Jim and Julia had planned to expand their family after Cassie was born. Could he raise his family normally with somebody like Chris living under the same roof? Jim didn't trust Chris enough to let him stay at the house by himself. Would Chris have to come along every single time the family went somewhere together? Would he have to call a friend to come over and watch him like he was a child?
Of course, Chris wasn't Jim's only issue right now. Julia's odd behavior was really bothering him. Was it normal for somebody to be acting like her just because of an old friend? Jim had missed Chris all these years, but he wasn't this obsessed over him. If obsession was a regular issue with Julia, why didn't she ever act that way around Jim? Julia had never shown to act this way before Chris arrived.
Was Julia beginning to like Chris more than him? How could she? After all, she was his wife. She had accepted his proposal. She had kissed him at the altar. She had carried his child. Was it possible that all of this meant nothing to her now?
"No, it can't be," Jim told himself. "Julia wouldn't do that. I'm her husband. I'm her lifelong partner. I'm the father of her child. She loves me."
Jim tried his hardest to get his mind off of all this, as he had a physics lab to teach in an hour and a half, and had to quickly look over the assignment he had planned out for the class. Unfortunately, it was very hard for his mind to stay focused on anything other than the issues at hand. Jim had a feeling this was the way things would be as long as Chris was staying at the house.
Jim didn't want to regret having let Chris in the house the previous night as he couldn't even imagine being responsible for somebody catching pneumonia and dying because they couldn't afford medical treatment. However, Jim was beginning to wonder if it was really that cold outside in the first place.
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