#anywhere

A pause. "Who?"

"Veronica Stein" he says " I was Sixteen and a half. She was sixteen. We ..learned a lot about each other. I opened my heart to her, she told me her secrets... and then.. out of the blue, a week from my birthday... she kind of ripped my heart out and fed it to her cat. I never saw it coming"

"Yeah. Sucks."

"I thought I did everything right. I learned every word to every song on her mix tape. And not all of those were winners, let me tell you. I knew her favorite color. I knew her turn offs. I lived to make her happy"

"Then.. rip right through the rib cage and out goes my heart" A nod "Yes, it sucks. I still don't understand HALF of why and that's at THIS age"

"It's...... complicated."

A nod "Yeah. Doesn't help that it is ,though, does it?"

"No......" followed by a sigh.

"I wish I had the words son. I'm in the words business, but it's all bullshit when it comes to heart ache."

The lump shifts a bit. "I know, Dad. S'ok. I just..... I think I just have to feel like this till I stop."

"Yeah. You do." A nod "And it may take aw hile... and then you'll think you've got it beat and then ... one day... you'll hear a song or smell something reminds you of her, and it'll stab like a knife in your heart all over again"

"Thanks, dad."

"Yeah, not what you wanted to hear I guess" he rises "Okay. I'll tell folks to give you some space. Speaking just from my own experience... video games to distract the brain, or exercise to burn out the energy might help.. not fix.. just.. help" He moves to the door "Anything you want besides being left alone for that?"

"No." Softly.

"We're here if you need an ear. I'm very sorry about the hurt. it will pass, but.. well... like you said, you just have to feel like this until it stops" And out he goes

closing the door

Adam shifts a bit, moving the covers, and settles.

And so.. there lays Adam who survived linnorms and redcaps.

laid low by the fairer sex

a tale as old as time

... neither the first nor the last man to be so felled.

***