Why did it matter?
Because I could shut my eyes and see Anna in a red sundress, dancing.
The fact that she snuck beer before the concert, got buzzed, and danced like nobody was watching.
Her hands above her head, singing out of tune to a band she liked and I didn’t care about.
Anyone that dared to look at her was given one warning by me.
And then the guy who tried to say something to her…
One punch later, he stumbled away with a bloody nose.
Everything in the shoebox had a story in my head and a memory in my heart.
Nobody in the world did to me what Anna did.
Including the day she got onto a bus and was gone.
Gone to study at some fancy university.
Gone to become some sophisticated psychologist, make lots of money and have a great career.
I came to my senses and hurried to cover up the shoebox and put it back where it belonged.
I honestly should have thrown the damn box in the trash.
No. Not yet.
I threw the old shirts back up on the shelf to hide the shoebox.
I checked my phone.
Still no response from Anna.
Which was good.
A smart move on her part.
Which meant it was now my turn to make a smart move.
Throwing out the shoebox wasn’t a smart move.
That didn't matter.
I had to make the right move.
The best decision for myself.
I needed to find a new shrink to talk to.
I metBobby for a late lunch.
He sat outside with some fruity drink and large sunglasses.
He smiled, looking like a drug dealer in an eighties movie.
I ordered a beer and sat down across from him.