Rollercoaster

Chapter 7

True to his word, Christian had called in every resource he could think of to help Cristina pull out of this dark place. He knew, however, that there was one more hurdle to jump over. Cristina had to block her ex, but she still refused to do so. It was as if she relished the daily torment of seeing his posts. Christian suspected that she felt a need to punish herself in the hopes that, through suffering, she might learn a lesson for the future.

Christian, however, had learned long ago that there are two kinds of suffering in the world, suffering that leads to life and suffering that leads to death. He knew it was crucial to distinguish one from the other. It was a lesson Cristina had yet to learn. He hoped her Zoom with her therapist might prove helpful.

He got her set up on the Zoom session and closed the door after himself as he walked out of the room. For her part, Cristina had finally gotten up and taken a shower and eaten something. Her doctor had told her to eat a steak. He said when people came into the ER feeling suicidal, the first thing they did was to give them protein because they were often experiencing a dramatic protein deficiency.

"Cristina," her therapist, Selim said. "It's good to see you this morning."

Cristina nodded.

"Have you been taking your medication regularly like we talked about?" she asked.

"Yes, Christian barges in here every morning at 8:00 like clockwork," she said, trying to sound annoyed, but her gratitude still managed to shine through.

"Good, I'm glad to hear he has the situation in hand," Selim replied. "Have you started an exercise program?" she asked.

"That's the hard one," Cristina admitted. "Of all the changes you asked me to make the exercise piece is the hardest. I did cut down on sugar and added more protein to my diet, but just getting the energy to move my body is extremely hard."

Selim nodded sympathetically. "Yes, it is hard," she conceded, "but as you do it more and more, you will find that it becomes easier."

"I guess," Cristina said, sounding unconvinced.

Selim moved on. "So, have you considered what I said about fasting from social media for a time?"

Cristina shook her head. "I can't do that. I'm sorry, but the curiosity is just too much. I can't stop looking at the shit Sean is posting."

Selim frowned slightly but said nothing.

"So, get this!" Cristina exclaimed. "Sean posted about them touring houses they are considering buying. And he wasn't allowed to have anything on his wish list. It was all about her. SHE needed a walk-in closet. SHE needed a double vanity. SHE needed a soaking tub. I mean, this chick is the most high-maintenance bitch I've ever seen."

"And this bothers you because...?" Selim waited for Cristina to fill in the blank.

"It bothers me because he said I was too much," she complained. "I let him have his way all the damn time. Now, he has a woman who controls everything he does. What's she doing for him? I have to ask myself what's she doing for him sexually that he will put up with this kind of abuse?" Cristina went on.

"Okay, let me just stop you there. I feel like we're getting off course here. We need to remember that how people treat us says more about them than it does about us. So, it would be a mistake to compare yourself to his new woman because the comparison doesn't hold. The common denominator here is HIM. He's the one that his behavior reflects on. Not you and not her," Selim corrected.