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Description
HER
"I was doing the laundry when he came up from the kitchen. I could see that he was trying to keep his cool, but he said he just needed to sit quietly for a while. He was worried, he had tried to ignore it but he just couldn't, he couldn't shut off his fears. I sat down on the bed and patted my knees; he was clinging to them in seconds, whimpering and spilling everything out. He'd pushed himself over the edge again, trying hard not to worry but he couldn't. I pulled him close, holding his hand tightly, fingers combing his hair: letting him sob it out. It would be ok, I told him, he was safe here with me, these pains were only temporary and we would face the future together. I couldn't do anything but promise that to him over and over, the weight of his head in my lap; watching his tears roll onto my pants and trying to hold my own back and be brave for him. I don't know what the future holds, but I have to tell him it'll be alright anyway, I have to promise him that things will work out fine. I always call him my Puppy: he works himself so hard to make things better and this is the price he pays for it, the sweeter the heart the more susceptible it is to the evils and worries of the world. It's 10:36 now, but I'll keep holding him as long as he needs. I promise him that the sun will shine again and beg the gods, silently, to let that come soon for my friend’s sake."

HIM
“I had another rough day. I had to take a walk around the neighborhood to collect my thoughts. I knew that going to her apartment was the only place I can at least feel safe: my sanctuary. I knew she was there. She had the day off. I couldn’t keep my poker face when she saw me. She knew me too well. She knew my tell signs by the way I hold up my posture. Having her sit near me made me break down. Like a chopped tree, I fell into her lap and started to cry, trembling and curled up. I told her that I’m haunted by this demon that makes me have panic attacks and always tells me the worst that could happen over something that I a small problem to another. Life is getting to me and I’m very slowly slipping away. She continued to promise me that everything will be ok; that she will be there for me. I always vent on her; cry in her arms like a child. My parents don’t cheer me up at all. I can’t be alone with my fears. She is there. She wants to be there, and I never want her to leave. I would be lost without her, trapped in my dark void of fear and worry. She is my close friend, and the only one I can really come to when I feel like the very ground beneath me is crumbling.”

A Promise © 2010 Alex Cockburn

Description
HER
"I was doing the laundry when he came up from the kitchen. I could see that he was trying to keep his cool, but he said he just needed to sit quietly for a while. He was worried, he had tried to ignore it but he just couldn't, he couldn't shut off his fears. I sat down on the bed and patted my knees; he was clinging to them in seconds, whimpering and spilling everything out. He'd pushed himself over the edge again, trying hard not to worry but he couldn't. I pulled him close, holding his hand tightly, fingers combing his hair: letting him sob it out. It would be ok, I told him, he was safe here with me, these pains were only temporary and we would face the future together. I couldn't do anything but promise that to him over and over, the weight of his head in my lap; watching his tears roll onto my pants and trying to hold my own back and be brave for him. I don't know what the future holds, but I have to tell him it'll be alright anyway, I have to promise him that things will work out fine. I always call him my Puppy: he works himself so hard to make things better and this is the price he pays for it, the sweeter the heart the more susceptible it is to the evils and worries of the world. It's 10:36 now, but I'll keep holding him as long as he needs. I promise him that the sun will shine again and beg the gods, silently, to let that come soon for my friend’s sake."

HIM
“I had another rough day. I had to take a walk around the neighborhood to collect my thoughts. I knew that going to her apartment was the only place I can at least feel safe: my sanctuary. I knew she was there. She had the day off. I couldn’t keep my poker face when she saw me. She knew me too well. She knew my tell signs by the way I hold up my posture. Having her sit near me made me break down. Like a chopped tree, I fell into her lap and started to cry, trembling and curled up. I told her that I’m haunted by this demon that makes me have panic attacks and always tells me the worst that could happen over something that I a small problem to another. Life is getting to me and I’m very slowly slipping away. She continued to promise me that everything will be ok; that she will be there for me. I always vent on her; cry in her arms like a child. My parents don’t cheer me up at all. I can’t be alone with my fears. She is there. She wants to be there, and I never want her to leave. I would be lost without her, trapped in my dark void of fear and worry. She is my close friend, and the only one I can really come to when I feel like the very ground beneath me is crumbling.”

A Promise © 2010 Alex Cockburn