Category Broken Heart

One would think it would be easier to not get lost on a one-way street. Fewer options, fewer choices, fewer ways to get confused and not make it to your destination, right?

Ironically, no.

Not only have I managed to get lost on physical one-way streets . . . I find it much easier to get lost in one-way street relationships.

It always starts out well . . . or so I think at the moment. It always takes hindsight for me to see that the relationship, friendship or romantic, was never two-way. Was never healthy. And was, in fact, toxic.

I recently experienced this moment. Not with a romantic partner, but with someone I thought was a good friend.

He’d always been there for me when others were not. He was also the one who helped me during one of my hardest moments.

But after learning that he ...

It was a normal day.

Well, as normal as any other Sunday had started lately anyway.

Little did we know that in less than an hour our world would once again be turned upside down.

After having a nice afternoon brunch together, that he had kindly made, my ex had another relapse.

His bipolar/schizoaffective brain had taken over (thanks to a little caffeine) and we were once again faced with a person we didn’t know. And a situation we weren’t sure how to navigate.

Even though we’ve been through it before, many times, it had been a while, we had hoped we’d never see this face again.

But alas, anyone out there who has dealt with a mental illness knows, it never really goes away.

So there we were, having just eaten and realizing that the conversation was taking a less than i...