Fluttering Pages Stamped Down

[thepnutgallery]

Flopped about next to Lady Miss Friday rather than jump up and into my day. I heard Sean (presumably) come in with Ben, and that finally prompted me to get dressed and out of bed. Not necessarily in that order. It only took me an instant to get into the groove at work, though the spirit was willing but the tech was weak. Same insane slowness as yesterday, and a couple hiccups with very experienced Panel Attorneys acting like the entire claims program was new to them. One was a former staff attorney. That TERF came back for more, frustrated at not being able to cram sex into discrete boxes. She declared that anyone "of the sex normally able to make ovaries" was female, regardless of their external appearance, so XY "males" with androgen insensitivity would still be classified and treated as men, regardless of how they identify, etc. But they could use women's restrooms and lockers no problem, since they pass. I had to remind myself that the goal with online fools is to show them the truth, and they either accept it or dig deeper and flaunt their insanity. I think that last part was vehemently achieved.

Sean borrowed my phone and car and such, trying to get in to Stepping Stone. His sister and mom found a rehab that would take him, he just had to get there. There was some sort of prior history with his family, he was mad at them and didn't want to go to "their" rehab. Or something. I saw him just after work and asked how it was all going, he reiterated that "today's the day" but seemed less than certain. Julian called and talked some about his financial woes, upcoming interview for Border Patrol, and my current houseguest. My primary concern for the interview, since he'd mentioned he received an identical one previously, was that it was a phishing scam or similar. From the email he sent, it looked real enough. It's for a "structured interview," and I had to look up what that even means. It's sort of a pre-interview where they try to figure out how well you work with others and the like. For what it's worth, I sent him the info I found describing the process and how to prepare. Sean disappeared, but Ben was still here. I talked a lot about the parallels between my situation last year with Sean's current ones. Sean's situation is a lot more dire than mine was in most if not all ways. Julian mentioned "rock bottom," which is the concept I was looking for. Tim's name kept coming since, y'know, saving my life and all that. Julian got jealous. He also got upset over my planned living room futon, and wouldn't believe that I haven't been fucking anyone. I got a call on the other line, and it was Nicole, Sean's sister. Apparently when I saw him last he'd just texted his mom that he needed her to come get him. It wasn't that much later, so I went outside to look for him, thinking maybe he'd gone out to wait or smoke or something. No sign of him anywhere.

Merryweather was running around in my shoes, and Ben was very intent. I was going to text his mom to come get him, but kept worrying that Sean had just like...gone out for dinner for a really long time, and would be upset I didn't give him the chance to say goodbye. Then I noticed his stuff missing, and thought maybe he'd decided to forgo the Goodbyes and just admitted himself. Yeah, I didn't believe it either. I gave him until 7:30, texted his mom and took Ben for a walk. It was a little strange walking past my old place this time. His mom showed up while I was still on the walk, and asked me to also snag the dog food she'd brought yesterday. Between Ben and the food, I couldn't close my door, but figured I'd be back in a few seconds anyway. His mom is very nice, but she's somewhere between where I was with Julian before he moved and where Tim was with me last year, and she really needed someone to talk to. I can set boundaries for my furkids much better than my own, so I ducked out of the conversation as quickly as I safely could. Conveniently, Flora & Fauna were eating dinner in Mouse Kingdom, and Merryweather ran out from under the couch.

Lady Miss Friday had requested a shirt to sleep on during the day, and on waking to Sean's absence, got cat Zoomies. I gave her a spring, let her out, and she spent the longest time outside I think I've seen. Strutting. Luxuriating. I called Tim to let him know the developments, and he said Sean was likely on a bender. You can't help people who don't want to be helped.