Mel's movin' on

Last week I signed the lease on a one-bedroom flat in downtown Chattanooga. It has wood floors, a proper bathtub, and traditional radiators and window a/c units. 

There are several reasons for the move. Although my aunt has zero dementia, she sometimes thinks that I am here to baby-sit. She also dislikes having anyone under her roof who does not agree with her politically, and since she gets all of her political information from Fox News, this happens a lot.

The real tipping point came when she left me a note that said she had "never asked me to stay in the first place". This wounded me to the core, and still does, especially when I think that she requests help from me on a daily basis for everything from trash removal to putting her hair in rollers.

Secondly, I'm in a remote area and I'd like to meet some locals. My apartment is just blocks from the Riverwal, so I can take my bike out during lunch when time and weather permit. 

I also admit that Reed* had a bit to do with it. I would like to see more of him, and having my own place will make this easier. 

After not seeing Reed for almost two months, he spent last week here. He was more of a lover than anything else (I'll just say there was little role play and leave it at that). The last night was odd in several ways; here is what happened.

He was supposed to return home Friday, but his wife showed up Thursday but then left quickly, which was odd. She was going to go rafting on the Ocoee, which is not far away, but then she headed to Illinois to see her ill, hard-drinking father as he went to the hospital and then to the ICU.  So late Thursday night, I am already preparing for bed when he sends a text saying that he is alone. 

I ignore the text as I had already gotten comfy, but then I get one a half-hour later that says "I need you." So I put on jeans and head to his hotel. What I saw upon arrival was a shock.

Reed was obviously, seriously drunk. He was gnawing on chicken wings and had two large beers waiting. 

In the past, Reed had never had much to drink when visiting. He would have one drink at dinner and that was it. He had also asked me to encourage him to refrain from too much drink, as it would infringe on our quality time.

But here I am, wondering why he felt he needed me. He alluded to an unhappy conversation with the wife, but I didn't ask for details. So I eventually pointed out that his last text was why I had come to see him, but it didn't appear that I was needed. 

His response set me aback, as he declared he was in love with me. He added that he had felt this way for a while.

While I will never take drunken proclamations of love as the undisputed truth, I also think that some people lose inhibition - emotional and otherwise - when under the influence. So I didn't know how to respond. He then reached out for my arms and put them around his neck, and I said nothing but held him.

He then asked me to remove the rest of the alcohol,and I duly poured it down the drain. Then he fell asleep. I went home a few minutes later, leaving my favorite scarf.

Around 2:30, he texted me. "Did I just pass out?"  I said yes.

Friday morning he offered his sincere apologies. I responded with:

"We had an interesting conversation." 

His response: "Uh oh."

I said that we needed to talk about it, but I preferred to wait until we saw each other in person again. He didn't object.

Initially, Reed's declaration put me in a quandary, as I didn't know if it would change what was going on between us. But then I decided to see where the day - or months ahead - take me. 

* See The Usual Suspects.