Interrupted (The Progress Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

coffee table. By that point, most of Charlie’s crying was under control.
    “Can you talk to me now?” Karal asked, sitting next to Charlie on the couch.
    “I’m an ass,” Charlie blurted out.
    Karal handed her a tissue. “No you’re not. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.”
    “I don’t even know where to start.”
    “What happened between you two?”
    *
    For the next hour, Charlie attempted to sum up the relationship she had with Jess. She told Karal about the last night they spent together and all the things he said to her. She tried to explain what she was thinking and why she left him that night. How she felt liberated and strong, and how she had felt that if she stayed it would have only kept them in the same frenzied cycle. Having been miserable since he left, she wasn’t sure if she had made the right decision.
    When Charlie was done, Karal threw herself back onto the couch. “Whew. That is quite the story, Charlie.”
    After taking another tissue from the box on the table, Charlie wiped her nose and eyes.
    “So let me get this straight. It was because of your friendship with Jess that you were strong enough to walk away from a guy like him. Ha, brilliant.” Karal turned to face Charlie and saw a fresh tear fall. “So what? Maybe you are an ass. Maybe you should be with him someday. But you made your choice, and it made sense to you at the time. Now is not the time that you and Jess are supposed to be together. Everything happens for a reason,” Karal said.
    “I just wish I could apologize…”
    “You already did, in the voicemail you left him. He could have called you. He could have come to see you. He knows where you live, where you work, and the places you go. If he’s pissed off at you, that’s his problem. You tried. He didn’t.”
    “Oh God, Karal. Did I screw this up?”
    Karal laughed and shook her head. “No. I personally love the fact that the bastard got what he deserved; a taste of his own medicine. I love a good boomerang story. But you can’t dwell on the “what ifs.” You just have to accept what happened and learn from it. You can have your time to grieve, but eventually you’ll see that what’s done is done. If you ever see him again, you can waste all the time you want with apologies, but I’m sure that with time he’ll understand what happened that night and why you did what you did.”
    God, I hope you’re right.
    “Thank you,” Charlie said, giving her a hug.
    “For what?”
    “For tonight; inviting me over, your advice. I guess I just needed someone to talk to.”
    “Anytime,” Karal said smiling. “Do you want to crash here tonight?”
    “No, I shouldn’t.” Thinking about her morning routine and the things she needed to take care of before her shift caused her to think about Samuel. “Oh shit, I have a date tomorrow! Crap. I’m just going to call him and cancel,” Charlie said, covering her face.
    “You will do no such thing! Who is this guy?”
    “He’s a friend from college. I actually don’t even know if it’s a date. I don’t have anything to wear…”
    “See, Charlie, this is what I am talking about. Accept what happened with Jess and learn from it. It’s time to move on. He’s gone. Even if Mr. College isn’t the man you’re going to spend the rest of your life with, he is an important stepping stone. Go out with him and for crying out loud, have fun!” Karal said.
    Charlie sniffed and a smile escaped.

Chapter Five
     
    Charlie continued to waver back and forth from feeling proud for closing a chapter in her life and the enormous guilt rattling in her mind over whether she had made the right choice for both of them. She felt like she was picking up pieces of herself scattered throughout her environment: at work, she had left her brain; at home, she had left her peace of mind; in her car, she had left her spirit. She tried to scoop them all up, one by one, and assemble them enough to appear pulled-together for her date. She