He promised me he would communicate through the group chat, so I think if we check in, he’ll respond. He just needs some time, though.
Ledger:
I’m going to add Ainsley and Oakley to this chat so we can all be on the same page, and keep our usual family chat to just us four.
Me:
If Lennox finds out, he’ll be even more annoyed that we’re creating a group chat to talk about him behind his back.
Oakley:
He may, but I don’t think that’s a huge concern for him at the moment. I was going to text him and see if he wanted to shoot the shit with a beer or something later.
Willow:
I think we should just do a quick check-in.
Arguing with my siblings and their significant others over how to handle Lennox is starting to piss me off more than this damn furniture. Lenny may have annoyed the shit out of me yesterday, but I also know giving him some time to cope with what happened to him is probably our best option. I will say, Oakley might be our biggest asset in helpinghim since he knows the most about what actually happened to him. I’m not holding my breath that anything we do will magically make him better, though.
Me:
I’m with Willow. Turning things into a big deal is going to piss him off. He knows we plan to check in, and at least for now, let’s keep to that. If he’s still in the recluse stage in a week, we can send Oakley in.
Ledger:
I hate this.
Ainsley:
We all do, but taking over and bombarding him will probably make things worse right now. I’m with Rina and Willow.
Oakley:
Looks like the women have it. I’ll do a drive-by when Grind Time closes and make sure things look okay at his house.
Ledger:
Thanks, Oakley.
I open up our family chat because I’m over talking behind Lennox’s back at the moment.
Me:
Just checking in, Len. If you need anything, let us know. Love you.
Short and to the point. Lennox is simple. He doesn’t need this long, thought-out message. Keeping things simple so he doesn’t feel guilty is the best option.
Lennox:
Doing okay. Just changed my bandages, and things are looking good.
Leaning against my workbench, all the emotions of the last week hits me square in my chest. I slept with Arlo. Lennox just went through hell, and our family is walking on eggshells because we don’t know how to help him. Everything feels out of control, and I hate feeling this way. I like control; I like knowing how to handle situations. And suddenly, I have zero control over anything. My phone pings again.
Ledger:
You have enough food?
Lennox:
