Oh Lord, Help Me Keep My Panties on - By Lynda Burton Page 0,22

was banging on the bathroom to see if I was okay. I cracked the door open, and he pushed his way in. He tried to get me to stand up, but I slid to the floor. “Leave me on the floor,” I slurred. I need the coolness of the floor tiles on my body to sober up. I was a hot mess! Jordan walked out of the bathroom and came back ten to twenty minutes later and hoisted me up over his shoulder and carried me to his room. He laid me down on the bed and undressed me.

I woke up around midnight and found myself wrapped up in his arms. As I began to move around, he woke up and gave me a kiss on the arm. He got up without saying a word and walked out of the room. I tried to sit up but couldn’t. My head wouldn’t let me. So I laid down, closed my eyes, and prayed when Jordan went into the kitchen to get me aspirins. A short time later, he entered the room caring a tray with coffee and toast. “Aspirin, aspirin,” I whispered. Jordan turned to me and pointed to the tray, aspirins. Around 2 PM we got up, I showered and dressed while he got himself together. The last of my packing was finished around 6 PM, and we slowly took my bags down to the car. After five trips back and forth, we were finished.

It was now official, my life with Jordan was now over, and so was my dual residency. I went back upstairs for the last time and ran into Xavier and Michael in the hall. They had no idea what was going on, so when they went to give me a friendly hug. I told them both that this would be the last time that they would see me and to take care of themselves. Michael and Xavier looked at each other then turned to Jordan who was standing in the doorway. I was choking on my words and started to hyperventilate then I burst into tears. Jordan walked over to me and held me tight. He walked me back to his room and closed the door. There, we held each other and cried in each others arms. I was falling apart again. I didn’t want to go, and I didn’t think I could drive, but I knew I had to go. I regained my composure, stood up, and gave Jordan a kiss. I held him tight and held my breath as long as I could. Finally, I let go, turned around, and then walked out of the apartment.

To tell you the truth, I don’t remember anything about the ride home. But thank God my car knows the way home! I staggered up the front walkway and into the house. I had enough energy to feed Hobbs and to let him out and before landing on the couch. My head was spinning, and I could feel my stomach churning. An hour later, I pulled myself up, let Hobbs back in the house, and made a beeline for the bathroom. I couldn’t bring myself to remove my things out of the car so I ended up driving around with my shit in my car for a week. I didn’t know if I was coming or going, and I’m sure my friends and neighbors didn’t know either. My coworkers noticed that I was having a hard time coping and suggested to my boss that I needed to take some time off. But I forced myself to hang in there, and I threw myself into my work. A week went by before I noticed that I hadn’t eaten a thing. I had gone without food subconsciously and was starting to lose weight. I had no appetite, and the smell of food made me sick. I knew what I was doing wasn’t healthy, but it was also the perfect opportunity to jump on a diet.

I had attempted a high-protein diet the year before and failed miserably. So I might as well give it a shot now. I ended up losing a total of thirty pounds in two months, and I looked great! September October, November, and December came and went, and my life before Jordan was returning.

Then on March 1, he called. “Hello, Haley. This is Jordan. How have you been?” I stopped everything I was doing and sat down at my desk. It was like my heart stopped, and I