Harrison’s Relapse

Harrison walks through the door and is immediately struck by the smell of weed being smoked. His girlfriend Caitlyn puts the joint down and faces him.

“Baby I can’t believe you’re finally back home!” she says as she walks towards him with her arms open for a hug. He hugs her back but lightly and with a pained expression on his face.

“I get back from rehab and you seriously greet me stoned? Your eyes are fucking bloodshot, Caitlyn” he said.

“That’s what you have to say to me after three months apart? Not ‘I missed you so much’ or ‘I’m so happy to see you’, you come in and judge me?” she replied.

“No look that’s not what I meant you know I don’t judge; this is just a lot for me right now. Of course, I love you and miss you and everything but I’m not trying to live this sort of life anymore.”

“You mean you actually want to stay clean? I know we always talked about it but damn. Like at least just smoke a little weed with me. We don’t have to do anything else.”

“How much have you been using while I was gone?”

“Well look you were the one who overdosed and everything. Me, I’m able to use without it getting out of hand. I’m not an addict”

“I take it that you’re still getting loaded?”

“Well, yeah. Basically, every night.”

Caitlyn passes him the joint and Harrison takes a brief drag. The tension in his face visibly releases.

“Fuck okay there goes three months clean I guess”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself Harrison, you deserve it after everything you went through”

“I’m sorry I came in in a bad mood I just have such mixed feelings about all this. And I know I don’t want to end up back where I was again.”

“You think I wasn’t horrified when I found you unconscious? If I hadn’t turned you onto your side, you probably would have died” Caitlyn says with raised eyebrows and pot smoke rising from her nostrils.

“Yeah, and I know that, and I never want to take that risk or put you in that position again”

“We both had issues. You spent three months clean and I started going to therapy more and each of us I think is in a much better place now. This time will be different I promise.”

“Caitlyn, I don’t think we should do this”

“You won’t know that until you try. Come here I’ll just give you a little”

A tear rolls down Harrison’s cheek as Caitlyn produces a syringe. He turns his arm over to her and looks away.

“I missed you so much Caitlyn. I don’t know who I am without you”

“I feel the same way.”