81 - Rock Bottom (Conclusion)

     Paris lay passed out in my parlor.  The "Hands" had temporarily rid
her of her pressing stress and gave me a chance to talk to Kiki in peace.  Kiki's almond
shaped eyes were hard and clinical as she told me about the past few days adventures with
Paris.
     I had seen Paris angry a few times I can only imagine how bad was when it was when
she was on a stem fueled tirade.  Kiki filled me in on the withdrawal Paris had
weathered.  She was trying to quit.
     "I knew she liked to party," I said leaning against my sink, "and I
knew things could get a little crazy but this is out of hand."
     I could hear the judgment in my voice but I didn't care.
     "What the hell happened?  What pushed her over the edge?"  There was a
small part of me that burned for a cigarette but I knew better.  I couldn't scream at
someone for battling with their addiction and then turn around and indulge my own.  Even
the judge needs a jury.
     "There was no one thing," Kiki answered staring at Paris's naked sleeping
body.  "It was like the entire world crashed down on her in a matter of two days;
her latest boyfriend went hard core psycho on her, she goes home to find that her father
has had a heart attack, and two days after she gets him in the hospital she totals her
BMW.  It's just been a great world of shit for her."
     "Well at least she's looking fit." I said sarcastically noticing her ribs.
"What's the name of that new diet Stem Fast?  Slim Crack?"
     Kiki just looked at me and shook her head.  She had seen rock bottom herself and
made the crawl up from hell and now she was watching her best friend crash and burn.  I
had hit a little close to home.
     “I’m just worried,” she started, “that she’s gone to far.  I don’t know if she’ll…”
     I knew the pain that Paris protected.  She held it as dear as some hold their sick
children or dying parents.  I knew because I held it just as tight.  We were too
narcissistic to destroy ourselves but just selfish enough to get as close to the edge as
possible.  If she really wanted this to end my phone never would have rang this morning.
     “Don’t you worry about her.  She’ll get through this.  This was her way of making
sure that we care, selfish bitch!  She’s too proud to ask for help.  If she really wanted
to end it she never would have called either of us.”  I said out loud.
     “You know what’s going to happen to her?  She’s going to find some great guy who
knows nothing about her and he’s going to sweep her off her feet because he’s head over
heels in love.  She’s going to tell him everything and I mean everything, and he’ll want
to protect her.  For a few years all will be right with the world.  You and I will just
sit here scratching our heads trying to figure out what the fuck just happened and life
will go on.”  I thought back to Caitlin.
     I could hear the judgment in my voice but I just didn’t care.  There are no clean
happy endings.  For the moment there was just Paris passed out in my parlor.

That Beautiful Black Man