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Into the Dark of Night | Part 9 – Trouble in New York

Continued from Part 8The Quandary (/dark-night-part-8-quandary)

I realized it at that exact moment. I didn’t really know many people who were friends with both Nick and I. Sure, at one time we knew a lot of the same people, but with Nick and I being on opposite ends of the continent, mutual friends had drifted.

He’d spoken about his sponsor, Jack, who I knew, but I didn’t have any contact information. Nick also mentioned a trip to New York City about six months ago. He visited a friend, Mark. Mark and I had been good friends and had also gotten sober together. For many years, Mark has struggled with sobriety, and six months ago he coined out of a prescription drug detox. That’s why Nick went to visit.

So, I went in search of Mark, finding his number in my personal Outlook. As I dialed the phone number, I was sure that I’d get someone else. Mark answered on the third ring. A flutter went through my stomach, my heart pounded as I flipped through the years. I hadn’t spoken to him in nearly five, but one of the most wonderful parts of friends on the east coast, is that five years can go by but it’s like no time has gone by at all.

We fell into a comfortable and oh so familiar dialogue. He sounded clear, strong, sober. I smiled, and then cleared my throat. “Hey, I was wondering. Have you been in touch with Nick?”

There was a slight pause, which is never a good sign. “Yes, about six months ago. Just as I was leaving rehab he called because he was coming to New York. Why?”

“How did he seem to you?”

“On the phone?”

“No, in person.”

“I never saw him, Rob.”

My head throbbed. “Um..well, I must have misunderstood him. I thought he told me he visited you when you got out of rehab.”

“No. We made plans and all, but he cancelled last minute. Saying something was going on with work. Something major but he didn’t go into it. He said he had to go back to Boston. I called him a couple days later and he said he was able to work out the problem. It wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. I haven’t heard from him since.”

And then Mark added. “Is he alright?”

Good Question.

 

Check out Part 10Quacking Like a Duck