Part 5
Why in God’s name would you want to date so soon after being with a dangerous man???
That was the thought crossing my mind as I listened to the women in our recovery-based conference call. They were interested in learning how to date again.
I wouldn’t do that, I thought. Not again. Not so soon.
I described to the women how my weight has been a safety blanket, protecting me from wanting to be with a man. Being with a man, for me, is like seeing a big plate of food, but having my mouth wired shut. I just don’t get to eat the food. My weight is the wire. It prevents me from indulging.
Until an ordinary trip to the grocery store tilted my illusion of control upside down.
This afternoon a friend drove me to the grocery store (I lost my car in the aftermath of the breakup). Tucked in my purse were my government-issued checks for milk, eggs, cheese and other items.
It has gotten so bad, from a material standpoint, that the last time I heard someone mention identity theft, I started hoping someone would actually steal mine! I thought I could tape my social security number on the outside of the trash can—it would save the thieves the hassle of picking through the stinky garbage looking for one.
I was cruising through the aisle, happy as a lark filing up my cart, knowing I did not have to walk home with the groceries. I looked up and there HE was. The guy from the Laundromat was standing in front of me.
I met him at the laudromat a couple weeks ago. He was very handsome. Oh so handsome! Embarrassed at my jammy pants and a sweat shirt and pushing my granny cart full of laundy, I made a dash for the door. I smiled and waved “Nice to meet you” as I fled by.
Flash forward to the grocery store. I smiled at him and said “Hello, how are you?”
He recognized me and we started talking. I told him my name.
He said “Oh, I will remember that, that’s my sister’s name.”
Then he told me his name.
I said, “Oh, that’s my brother’s name.”
We both started laughing.
As I felt that spark of connection, in the back of my mind, I heard, “DANGER Will Robinson, DANGER!” In my mind’s eye, I could see a robot standing behind him wilding swinging his arms!
We stood grocery cart to grocery cart talking about cream of broccoli soup and clam chowder in a sour dough bread bowl. Suddenly things felt very awkward and silly. The brief spark of connection had been driven away by fear.
He said, “I go to the laundromat on Saturdays, when do you go?”
I replied “When I run out of clothes.” I cast my eyes downward as the line fell flat.
Half comment and half question he blurted out: “You live close by?”
I shot back “Oh yeah,” then randomly threw in “I even use a granny cart to bring my clothes.”
(For a minute I realized I learned a trick from the psychopath, by playing with the meaning of words, because I use the granny cart for the exact opposite reason.) Without a car, the laundromat is too far for me to carry my clothes!!!
Saying goodbye was a funny, uncomfortable moment. I felt like we were in high school. I really thought he was going to ask me for my phone number. Instead, he described his vehicle, and said if you see it in the parking lot, you’ll know I’m there.
When I got to the line with my WIC checks for the milk and eggs, I thought oh crap. I went in a tail spin, praying my girlfriend would come up behind me in the line and not him. “God, do not let him come!” I thought. My face flushed like a hot red desert sun.
My friend did walk up behind me to join me in line. I sighed with relief.
While waiting for the cashier, I scanned the tabloids for quick fix dieting solutions. How fast could I take off 60 pounds?
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