65. Done Everything
Turns out she was an alcoholic.
I suspected but didn’t realize it was that bad. I just thought she liked to party, and when home alone at night, she’d only have a glass of wine or two. I didn’t notice the other three to four glasses she was sneaking.
Helped her through getting sober, drove her to AA meetings, and waited outside. Helped her through cravings, and detoxes and relapses. Held her hair back while she puked and cleaned up said puke. Intentionally avoided any situation or outing where booze might be freely flowing.
It was only later that I learned about the unspoken “13th step” of sobriety.
She dumped me over the phone, and a week later was dating someone from the AA group. Last I heard, she had relapsed.