#24 A rose is a rose is a rose
I wasn't able to make it to work often.
My dad gave me $500 and co-signed so I could get an apartment. It was right by my job.
I was only having trouble getting to work because of sleep issues and a long 2 mile walk that wore me out. When it was time to move into my place they said my dad needed to be present to sign. But he was in Egypt at the time. When my dad initially showed up we asked 7 times if he'd need to be there to sign or not and they said no 7 times. Now they're saying if he isn't there I don't get the place.
I asked if we could use a faxed signature and they said no he had to be there. I looked up the law and found you can legally use an E-signature. I looked at how to set this up and told the land lord about the e-signature and he said it was bullshit and didn't read anything I tried to show him. I pleaded with him and said I really needed to move into this place and he told me no.
I fucking lost it. I cussed his ass out. I yelled and screamed at him. I told him he was fat. I said he was a horrible person. I said "Never attack a cornered animal, there's no telling what they'll do. They've got nothing to lose. NOTHING!!!!!!" He got scared and reached for his phone to phone the police and I said "you aren't worth it. Fuck you." I spit in his face and walked away.
My dad was in Egypt for 3 months. I was stuck at the neon light shop still having trouble getting to work. I asked my sister if I could stay at her place for just a few months so I can get sleep to go to work. Then I can look for a place. I can save up money and I wont need a co-signer at all. She said no. I begged her and pleaded with her and she still said no.
I did my best to make it to work. I tried my hardest. Dana, the neon light shop owner was helping me out and all but it just wasn't enough. I got fired cause I missed so much work and was late all the time. I wasn't able to sleep...
I fell into a pool of depression. I had happened again. I was almost there. Almost on my own. I was about to make it and I needed just a little bit of help or at least no one to get in my way. I tripped before the finish line.
I lost my job.
I was still homeless.
Everyone at commons hated me.
I had trouble with girls unless and opportunity fell into my lap.
I had nothing to live for.
I called up every girl I know and asked if they wanted to have sex. They all said no.
I started drinking heavily and ended up blowing all that money my dad gave me. all $500. in a month, most of it gone. I didn't even look for a new job, I didn't care anymore. I researched how much Aspirin it takes to kill a man. 35-40 grams for the average adult. I took 50 grams.
I said good bye to all the girls I knew in my phone. Said I was done with life. I didn't tell my family at all. I hated them all and wanted them to find out the worse way possible. I wanted them to never know why I did it. I erased all my phone contacts and messages. My call log, everything.
It started to hurt. I was really painful. I had also downed an entire thing of Nyquil.
I started to hear this horrible ringing in my ears. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I thought of my little brother. The only person in all the world I trusted. The only person in all the world I thought actually gave a shit about me. I had a bag of cheato's and some Arizona tea. I stuffed my face with Cheetos and washed it down with tea. I went outside the shop.
I put two fingers in my throat and puked everything out.
I ate more cheetos and drank more tea and force vomited. Over and over. I saw lots of white flakes in the puke. And lots of green. Good, I'm getting the Nyquil and Aspirin out.
I kept at it until I no longer saw green and no longer saw white flakes. I still heard the horrible ringing in my ear. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I drank and drank and drank until my tea was gone. I felt better but the ringing was still there and I still felt sick. I staggered to the bath room and got water and drank and drank and drank. I was sweating horribly. I was feeling worse and better at the same time. I wasn't going to make it... I might have to call 911... I didn't want to call them.
I called them and told them where I was at.
Previously about a year ago during the summer....
You remember Jeff. Friend who stayed at Skelly's with me. He hung himself. everyone was really upset about that. A lot of people showed up to his funeral. People who didn't even know him. Everyone in hindsight said they needed to treat each other better and look out for each other. This was like 9/11/2001. Everyone thought they should look out for each other and they did. then 2002 came they still did, just not as much. 2003 came and it wasn't as intense. 04,05,07, by 08 everything was business as usual. People were back to treating each other like shit.
Jeff's suicide lasted about 8 months before people went back to treating each other like shit again.
So I'm in an ambulance on my way to the hospital and they're asking me what I did. I tell him 50 grams of aspirin. Then I changed my mind and used Cheetos as a charcoal substitute and drank tea to wash it down and force vomited to pump my stomach. And once I no longer saw Nyquil or Aspirin in my puke I drank all the tea and about a Gallon of water. No more than 2 gallons cause I understand hyperhydration is lethal.
The Dr. said I should be fine I just need to have an IV of Saline solution and some water every so often and a healthy diet. I was put in the ICU [Intensive Care Unit].
The Doctor asked me a few questions.
Do you have a job? no
How many women have you slept with? 23
I need to know the honest answers so we can figure out why you tried to do this. How many women have you slept with? 23
This isn't about boasting or stretching. I need an honest answer so we can understand. "Dr. I've had sex with 23 women in my life and that doesn't count the times I just got a blow job. I'm a man of opportunity and have reached lows in my life where my standards are almost nonexistent. Of those 23 women maybe 5 of them I've had sex with more than once. I've only dated 3 women my entire life, this doesn't include relationships that last less than a month. I feel that if I went to a bar or club right now with the intention of getting laid my success rate is a very low single digit number. 5% maybe. 1 in 20 trips I get laid... heh, it's lower than that when I think about it. Maybe 3%. This is frustrating."
He accepted that I'd slept with 23 women.
Are you homeless? Yes
More questions. I faded out...
Day 1.
I wake up in the ICU. I've got monitors out the ass on my hear, my finger, everywhere. I'm looking at them and where the wires lead and figuring out which is which. I have an IV of Saline solution in my arm. The nurse comes in. She's very condescending and rude. I ask for Orange Juice. I tell her that, to me, it tastes like happiness. She brings me apple juice. She says "I don't understand why anyone would try to kill them self. Life is wonderful if you work and you aren't lazy." I say "You've never lived my life. You're parents are probably still together aren't they?" She says "So what if they are?"
"Who paid for you to go to school and become a nurse?"
"Financial aid is out there for the less fortunate." she says.
"What if you have no money for the bus and no car?"
"......."
She leaves.
Lunch. shitty hospital food. More apple juice.
I ask for water. It never arrives. She offers me a remote to watch TV. I say I don't like TV, it's depressing. I ask for a deck of cards and something to draw with. She says "I can't give you a pencil, you might try to kill yourself."
"Who called 911 to get me in here again?" I say.
She leaves. No deck of cards. No water.
Dinner. Shitty hospital food. More apple juice.
I go to sleep...
Day 2.
Bitchy nurse gives me breakfast.
Shitty hospital food. More apple juice. I say not a word to her and eat my food.
The psychiatrist comes in and asks me an assortment of questions.
Do you hear voices in your head? Well, I think everyone does. I certainly hear them. Lots of them at times. But I know what they are. It's my thoughts. My unconscious mind and ideas I have manifested in the form of a voice. Like when I'm at a job interview and I'm asked a crucial question and the voice tells me what to say. It's just my intuition and unconscious. It's me.
She says "So, that's a no..." I say "yes, that would be a no."
Do you ever have moments when you feel energetic for long periods of times and then feel down and exhausted. No, I'm not manic depressive.
This continues. When it's over she says "You seem well versed in psychology, are you just giving me the right answers so you can get out of here?" I say "Now, if I say no, that would be the correct answer. I'm going with no. No I'm not giving you the correct answers just to get out of here."
"How do I know you wont do this again?"
"You don't know."
"Well, what is wrong with you. Why did you try to do this and why did you stop yourself and call the hospital?"
"That's the correct question to ask. I did this cause I lost my job and I was upset about life. I was homeless and jobless." [I didn't say the whole truth to her, I wanted to get out of there]. "However before I did it I bought a bag of cheetos and arizona tea to use in cased I had 2nd thoughts and needed to pump my stomach. While it was happening I thought I was giving up and that I just need to get a new job and find a cheap apartment." [almost a blatant lie right there.]
She says "Well, will you do this again?"
I say "No. I feel foolish for doing it in the first place." [lies... real answer is "I don't know. life sucks."].
She leaves.
Lunch.
Orange juice, fancy hospital food.
A really hot nurse comes in and she chats with me. She's very friendly. I get the impression she has this job cause she wants to help people and not, like most, because it's one of the easier courses in collect that lands on an almost guaranteed job. She asks why I'm not watching TV. I tell her and she offers to birng playing cards and asks if I like to draw. I say yes, I love to draw and ask if I can have more orange juice.
She comes back with 3 cups of orange juice, a deck of cards, a pencil, and some paper. She warms up to me and then asks me why I did this. I tell her. I tell her everything. I tell her how I feel now. I don't know if I'll do it again, but I gotta get out of here and try to make something of myself. She gives me some advice on women. I don't remember exactly what. She says she doesn't really know that well but it's all she can help me with. She chats with me for a while and we talk about psychology and video games.
Dinner
Orange juice. Lots and lots of orange juice. Ice cream. spaghetti. yum

I had made her and Origami swan. She says thank you and chats with me for a bit. I'm looking into her eyes and at her face. She leaves. I eat my phone quickly. I'm feeling a lot better now. I'm thinking of her face and I start drawing a picture of her. I start to lose the memory.
I buzz her to come in and I ask for more OJ or water at the least. She says sure and I chat for a bit while looking at her face. Rememorizing it. She leaves and I draw more. When she returns I hide the picture and look into her eyes again and try to memorize her face adn she says "You make the best eye contact. How do you have trouble with girls." kinda flirty. I smile and say "I don't know."
She leaves and I continue my picture. it's finished.
I drink my OJ and water.
I "accidentally" remove the sensor on my heart and she comes back in the room and I say hello. She says the desk said my heart dropped and I say I can feel it beating and I'm still alive. Then I give her the picture and she says "Oh... Clever. You removed the sensor didn't you. I appreciate the picture

" I say "yeah... I kinda did remove it. sorry about that."
Day 3.
Hot nurse is still there.
Breakfast
OJ, OJ, good food, and OJ.
I'm told I'm well enough to go home and that I can wait for lunch if I'd like.
Lunch
Good food and OJ. Lot's of OJ.
I eat lunch and I feel great, then I get dressed. The nurse gives me a hug goodbye and kisses me on the cheek and says "You're very sweet. If was single I'd go for you." I tell her "You're very sweet too. Just knowing that there's good people out there makes me feel life is worth living."
I had told her somewhere in all this that I was depressed because I felt everyone in my life, almost everyone, has tried to stab me in the back at some point. She gives me a really intense hug and tells me to come and visit her sometime. But next time make sure I'm not in an ICU bed.
And I leave.
I forget that I have a hospital bracelet on. I make it to the coffee shop and camp out while I wait for Dana to get back to the shop. He's probably worried about me and wondering where I am. I see Remi, who knows my entire family and it one of the few friends I have left... I feel like I've been here before... Few friends I have left... how'd that work out? How does that always work out?
Remi's smart. He see's the band I have and asks why I have on a Hospital band. I'm not going to insult his intelligence. I haven't thought up a lie for such a thing, cause if I'd given it any thought I woulda just taken the damn thing off instead. I avoid the question instead.
He walks off with me and says "Nick, did you try to kill yourself again?"
I say "Yes, but I called the hospital."
We talk more on this.
Eventually I go back to Dana's and he asks where I was. I had some made up story by then about how I met some chick or something. Or went to some party. It was basically something I do anyway. I think it was formulated so that I wasn't technically lying. I said something about how I spent 3 days in bed amongst the presence of one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met. Technically that's true.
Remi tells my sister. My sister tells my dad and my mom. Celia's logic was that my dad would give me money and help me get my own place without being half assed about it. She says sorry for not letting me stay just a few months and say I'm welcome to stay at her place now. I'm kinda annoyed that when the opportunity is gone things work out... but whatever.
I stay at my sisters.... and Chapter 24 is only halfway over. Things get pretty fucked up near the end. But I'm stopping here. My hands hurt from typing so much. I'll finish this up tomorrow maybe.
Maybe I'll draw closer to chapter 35 [I think I'm on 35 now... kinda lost count somewhere around 30. maybe I'm at 40... I'd have to think about it and count them again.]