Falling in Love — Part 5: Obstacles Emerge
A few months later, he decided to take Interferon for Hepatitis C, a direct result of his history of intravenous drug use. The treatments made him feel really sick and weak. He told me he had no interest in sex with anyone, anymore, and that his dog would be a better bet for “love”. Wait, really? The dog would be a better bet for love? No more sex? Wow, once more. Are you rejecting me? Is this a coded message I don’t understand? He still invited me over to “hang out”. He wasn’t much of a reader so we watched spiritual videos, together. Well, all good relationships have times of differing sex drives, right?
After more than six months, we still spoke on the phone almost daily but got together less since he was recuperating from his treatments. In the beginning we had fun and enjoyed our differences but now he became enraged over any disagreement. He started an online flame-fest with my Israeli sister about Palestinian rights. Civilized discussion was impossible. I figured this chemo was messing with his mind. He acted crazy and cruel.
But nothing killed my hope for love. Until about a year after we’d met, when he broke another date with me, this time to coordinate dog care with his wife. He joked about her being “The Queen”. Hey, I want to be the queen! But Frenchie gave him exactly what he needed: she’d walk the dog, bring him free Prozac and vacuum his apartment. I don’t vacuum.
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