Love Virus

Chapter Twenty Six

Recommended song - Hurt for me by SYML
March 11, 2020

Garrett's POV

Cal beamed and took out his phone. They sat there for several minutes while Cal showed him picture after picture of Sam. "He's so cute." Garrett gushed.

"Yeah. He's amazing. I want so much for him. More than what I can give him now" Cal said honestly.

"Tell me about you Cal". He looked at the man sitting across from him and wanted to really know him. Just as Garrett told him about his life, scars and all, Garrett wanted that same sincerity from him.

Cal looked at Garrett and wondered what should he tell him. Everything? Leave out the bad bits? Sugarcoat everything? Make it seem like his life was great when really it was anything but.

"Honestly?" Cal asked quietly.

"Yeah. Honestly. Tell me even if it's crap." Garrett said with a reassuring grin. He took a deep breath and spoke until he had nothing left to say.

Cal told Garrett how everything had changed after the accident. Kids didn't want to be his friend and thought that be had pushed "the little kid" in the fire on purpose. He was beat up and threatened every day. His brother and sisters were harassed and they were so young they didn't understand. All they knew was that their brother pushed a little kid in a fire. Cal stopped and wiped his tears. 

He spoke honestly about falling into a crowd that accepted him and drugs and alcohol were soon all consuming. He would lie and steal from his parents and soon drugs were all he wanted. It numbed the pain and it was all he cared about.

His family used to be the center of his world. Vacations, holidays, camping, meals together, all of it gone. He broke his family
The once happy family was gone. His family was scared of him. That broke him more than anything. They tried everything. Councelling, bootcamp, rehab, interventions, and he stubbornly resisted it all. He truly felt that he wasn't worth saving.

His bad attitude and non existent attendance got Cal kicked out of school and he eventually quit altogether.  He had a grade 10 education with no prospects or ambition so he started dealing. He saw the ugly side of humanity and soon he blended in.

The once clean cut, school basketball star, science loving, Harry Potter fan was unrecognizable. One mistake led to a million mistakes until his life was not recognizable to what it was.  He lived, if one could call it that, with drugs, crime, misery as his blanket covering all of his scars. 

He had been in rehab a few times but the last time, when he was 22 was the one that stuck. He had met Dr. Berger, his therapist that understood his guilt and worked with it. Slowly he started to get better. He took his sobriety seriously. Another turning point in his life was meeting Amy.

He had never been in love or had a relationship so it was exciting. Both having the same experiences was comforting in a way. They knew they wouldn't be judged by the other and for two highly insecure people, that was a huge pull for them.

They quickly became dependant on each other and as Cal spoke about Amy and their relationship he realized some things that hadn't occured to him before. As much as he loved Amy, and he loved her greatly, they had substituted drugs for each other and that dependency was still just as potent.

Other than rehab they didn't have a lot in common. He knew he loved her but if he was honest with himself, if they hadn't been two ex addicts they wouldn't have gotten together. He didn't regret it. He never would. Amy was wonderful to him and they supported each other 1000 Percent. Sam was a blessing and a joy and Cal was determined to do right by him.

Cal was surprised at how much he had told Garrett. He felt cleansed and peaceful. It was then that Garrett looked him dead in the eyes with a solemn expression. Cal grew nervous as he felt perhaps he had said too much.

"We're so fucked up".

Cal looked at him with his mouth hung open and shock across his face. Then Garrett laughed. He laughed so loud and hard that everyone turned to look.

Within seconds Cal was laughing too. Soon they were wiping tears from their eyes from laughing.

For Cal he had hoped for forgiveness but realistically wasn't expecting it. He needed to say that he was sorry. What he received that day he would never forget for the rest of his life. He was thrown a lifeline.

A miraculous lifeline that he clung on to. A sense of peace washed over him, a feeling that he had never experienced before and it was overwhelming.

He suddenly reached for Garrett and wrapped his arms around him. He didn't mean to do that, it was an impulse so he was shocked when the giant man put his arms around him and no words were spoken. They weren't needed. Forgiveness meant a new beginning for them both.