His voice crackled over the phone, breaking in and out, she sat waiting for him to get past his deadened hi, and on to why he was calling so late.

“I, I need help, I don’t’ know what I’m going to do. It’s over, she,” his voice broke and she was sure that if she could have seen him right now there would have been a tear rolling down his cheek, mingling in the tracks left by it’s predecessors, dripping off of his chin and staining his shirt with dark blots of color. “I thought it was forever, I honestly believed that of her, and she does this; she,” he stopped to steady his voice, “she stabs me in the back and, and leaves me for him, I’ve been there for her though everything. What did I do to deserve this?”

He fell into chocking sobs on the other end of the phone and she sat silent tears running down her face as she thought about how now he too had been broken in little tiny pieces, “I’m sorry, I know you don’t think this now but it won’t hurt so much after awhile, and eventually you’ll be able to look at other people with out falling apart all over again. I know you loved her, and I wish I could tell you that you won’t always remember that.”

“I just wish that I could have known it would end this way so that I could have done things different.” He wasn’t sobbing so hard now but she knew that he thought it was all his fault and he was trying to figure out how to fix it.

“It’s not your fault.”

“But if feels like it….”

“No , listen to me it’s not your fault she cheated on you, was going out with someone else and broke up with you, now tell me how you think it’s your fault.”

His voice rose in volume and he choked out, “I Know but if it was my fault at least I can fix it, this way there is nothing that I can do about it!”

“So now remember that.” Her voice came a across soft and sad like it was lost in another time, “and don’t you ever forget, you were to good for her, for people like that, you are so good and kind, don’t let yourself ever forget .” On the last word her voice was fierce and demanding so that it drilled away into his mind.

“I wish, I wish I could forget, I wish I didn’t remember any of it, it just hurts to much.”

“Don’t say that, please don’t say that, or at least remember before you say that, that you wouldn’t just be forgetting the bad, you’d be forgetting the good too.”

“But maybe I want to forget everything.”

“I don’t’ think you do though, I really don’t’ think you do.”

“But I want it not to hurt.”

“I know, but there is nothing but time for that, I promise it will get better.”

“I thought you didn’t promise anything.”

“I don’t but for you I will promise, because in time it won’t hurt nearly as much, it might still hurt, but not as much.”

“I’m sorry I called you crying I know you have other things to worry about.”

“It’s really okay, that’s what friends are here for, they’re not here to judge or say their lives are worse, they are there for you. I’m here for you.” She could hear him crying on the other end of the phone and pictured the tears still rolling down his face leaving traces of the bitterness he felt on his skin, he was quiet for a second and then said, “Thank you,” so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.

“That’s what I’m here for you don’t need to say thank you. Not ever. especially because all I did was be there for you.”

She had to go after and hour more or so and he said good bye the tears still drying on his cheeks she had hung up the phone he sat listening to the deadened sound of the dial tone thinking about how now he believed that eventually it would be better, He just didn’t know when.

END