Problem solver in Stuff

Lately it seems like the only time I feel like I have something to write here is when Megan does something weird. Actually, even then I don’t write about it very often, because if that was the case I’d still be writing here nearly every day.

Last night I got a text from Megan at about 8:00 at night that said, “Are you free? I need someone to talk to.”

I responded, “Where’s Olsen?”

I’ve noticed a pattern shift in how I deal with and speak to Megan. At first I really did see her only as a friend. But lately I see her much more as one of my kids. I feel almost authoritative over her now in a way I never did when she first came into our lives. So I might have once almost thought my response to her was rude, but I didn’t yesterday. It was a simple statement of why do you need to talk to me? Where’s your girlfriend?

Her response, “That’s kind of what I need to talk about.”

Sigh. I went over to her place and let myself in. She was laying on the couch. Puffy-eyed.

She invited me to lay next to her, which I did. That may sound weird but she has this oddly over-sized couch that is hard to describe. It’s a U-shape sectional that takes up most of the room and you can’t even properly sit on because the cushions are so big. Seriously, each cushion is probably about the size of a queen mattress. And I think there’s six of them.

I laid there and she told me that Olsen left and was headed back up to Maine for a month for work. Good for her, I thought, because I know she enjoyed that experience last time. Although that thought was immediately followed by minor irritation that she left for a month without telling me.

Megan followed up that statement with, “I can’t possibly be away from her for a whole month again.” That sounded sweet and loving on some level and weirdly possessive on another. I asked her why not and she said she can’t go that long without sex. I wanted to tell her I haven’t had sex in nearly a year, but I kept that to myself.

She said that the two of them got into a fight because Megan tried to stop Olsen from leaving. But then she confessed that she really didn’t express herself properly about her reasons for not wanting her to go. Megan asked if I’d talk to Olsen and I said I would.

So I called her. She was still on the road, driving to Maine. After a few questions and some small talk about this new opportunity for her, I said, “It sucks you’ll have to be away from Megan for another month. Maybe you guys should meet up on the weekends or something.”

She said, “That sounds like a great idea. It would be fun if she came up.” Megan was listening to the conversation and nodding emphatically.

I hung up and felt like a super hero. Like I’d solved a huge problem, even though it wasn’t very difficult to solve. And this is why I feel like I’ve gained a child with Megan, more than having gained a friend.