Tuesday, March 08, 2022

a sterilized send off

WEEK NINE - When Is It Finished?
In conjunction with "No Such Thing as a True Story", please write a scene from the point of view of someone with whom you've recently argued/disagreed. What does the 'truth' look like from his/her vantage point?


All the groups warned her this would happen.

"Sadly, this catches up with all us sufferers of environmental illness. First the establishment doctors, then our brainwashed friends and families. They just won't listen to the truth."

I never had to say "I don't believe you" for her to hear it. She stood at full attention waiting for the day I, too, would follow this unavoidable pattern. Just one more misery on top of all her other suffering.


The internet groups chorus, "Cut them out. You don't need more negativity in your life."

She's packing up her trailer with what few belongings she has left. Extreme mold avoidance protocols necessitated a "clean break," meaning she trashed everything she owned, as it could be either carrying or attracting toxins. Her bass. Her clown nose. The harddrive housing all our songs from 2019. Her phone, car, computer. Every few weeks, she buys new clothes, tents, sleeping bags for temporary use, then dumps them when they've absorbed the toxins escaping her body. To donate them would be irresponsible.

We used to call each other "creative soul mates" and now we can barely breathe the same air. Literally. She can't come inside my house, as most buildings in our humid town trigger her mold symptoms, which include debilitating physical reactions as well as anxiety, OCD, and self-harm. That's why she's moving into this trailer, planning to park somewhere with good air.

I struggle to find words that won't sting. Every interaction a mine field. If my concern crosses the border of total agreement, I turn enemy. My poisoned position sparks a flare up; she's compromised, unreachable. Her mind and body retaliate but she takes all the hits. I'm helpless. My truth can't not hurt her.

So just smile and step back. Feel complicit in your deference. Hope for the best.

"Good luck on your trip!"

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