It started with an e-mail. On Monday, Naomi wrote to me to let me know that she had decided to move back to the East Coast. She told me a few weeks ago she was thinking about it but she wasn’t sure. Everything had falling in to place though, and it was happening. Now.
I guess I should back up a bit. Naomi and I worked together from June 1, 2000 to May 15, 2001. Almost a full year, until the company tanked and we went down with it. It was the same company where I met Kymberlie at. Naomi and I are very different, and yet almost exactly the same. She is the sort of friend whose sentences I can complete, even if we go six months without seeing each other. (Which ended up being our average lately.) We’ve been through a lot together, but knowing that she was right here in Houston, there wasn’t an urgency to see her. Isn’t it funny how people just put things off like that?
So she’s moving to the East Coast. And I’ve been quite melancholy because of it. Thus explaining my lack of posting anything the past few days.
Tuesday night I went over to see her at the apartment where she was staying. Up until the past few days, he seemed to be a great friend to her, very supportive, a good roommate. But something has changed, and we have no clue what or why. A few days earlier, he had started randomly harrassing her. No real reason why. And it made no sense. It scared me to leave her alone on Tuesday night – nothing she said was good enough when he called, and I was honestly afraid that he would become violent. But he said he wanted me to leave before he came home, so we scrambled and loaded up goodies I was taking home into my car, and I left.
Just after I got home, she called me back. He had started yelling at her, saying horrid things. He had taken away her keys, so if she went outside – even to walk her dog – she would be locked out. He was threatening to call the cops. He was insisting that he didn’t think she was really leaving town.
I got back in the car, and with Mike’s help, we got her out of there. Once I arrived, he never came out of his room. I still think it would have been much worse if I hadn’t been there – but I was. I needed to be. Over the years, we have been through a lot together. This time she needed me, and I was happy to help.
Now he is attempting to harrass her via e-mail. He has no clue where she is though, and I am thankful for that. I am drained though. Lack of sleep from the other night, stress, everything all rolled up in to one, I am tired. However, I am happy to know that she is safe and moving back out East. She has a strength that she doesn’t see, but I see it in her. She is a wonderful friend, and I wish her nothing but the best. My only regret is not spending more time with her while she was here.
Speaking of friends I don’t spend enough time with, Mike and I are heading out later to New Orleans with Doug and Chelsey. I’m looking forward to the break from everything. And I have a total of seven cameras packed to take with me, so I’m sure there will be photographs to look forward to over the next few weeks. No, really, I don’t have an issue with cameras. I swear, I don’t.