Page 128 of Still Bruised
“Sounds very adult of you,” Anton said. He smiled softly. “How do you plan on figuring your shit out?”
“My doctor recommended a therapist.”
Anton’s smile widened. “That’s good. Have you made an appointment yet?”
“I’ve had three sessions so far.”
Anton’s brows rose.“Oh?Damn.”
Jude smiled.
“You like the doc?”
“There’s been no judgment. No guilt trips.” Jude smiled. “She actually seems like she’s listening. She’s lowered the doses on my meds. I feel less like a zombie, which is nice, but getting usedto actually feeling shit hasn’t been fun, either. I’ve already had a meltdown or two and was tempted to reup the doses just to not feel anything again.”
“I like the idea of non-zombie Jude. I hope you do, too.”
“It’s hard, but, yeah… I do.”
Anton smiled. “I’m proud of you.”
Jude fought a smile that Anton’s comment caused. “You can thank Foster. If he hadn’t knocked some sense into me, I wouldn’t have realized what I was doing to myself.”
“Knocked some sense into you?He didn’t lay hands, did he?”
“Nooo,”Jude said. “He basically told me I needed to get over it.”
Anton stood a little straighter. “Hetoldyou to get over it?”
“Not in those terms—but even if he had, he wouldn’t’ve been wrong.” Jude lifted a brow. “Lay off him. Something good came from that fucked up relationship.”
Anton grunted.
“Let’s go,” Jude said, urging Anton forward. “When are you coming back from Wisconsin?”
“Not until thefollowingMonday.”
“You’re missingtwoSundays?” Jude growled.
“I’m so tempted to not go at all,” Anton said. “But I know damned well they’ll convince Ma to stay. Then I’ll be the one moving all her shit out there. And the one moving it all back in three to six months when she decides she hates it.”
“Maybe she wouldn’t hate it.”
Anton grumbled under his breath. “Invite me to Thanksgiving at yours next year.”
Jude frowned. “You know I don’t do anything for the holiday.”
“We’re telling Mom that you’re having a little dinner, and you need me there to help. That way, I don’t have to go to Wisconsin next year.”
“Okay, then I guess you’re officially invited to Chinese food on my couch.”
Anton chuckled. “You have no idea how good that sounds right now.”
24
Foster sat across from Cary at McMurphy’s, watching the Giants pregame on the big screens arranged around the bar. There was a lively, animated crowd. Folks were always happy when the Giants were playing well. Maybe not the Iggles fans, of course, but there was nary a Philadelphia jersey in the place that afternoon. Yet, even with all that positive energy around him, Foster couldn’t shake his foul mood.
He reached for his beer and took a swig. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a big guy moving quickly in their direction. The crowd parted around him like the Red Sea.
