The Other Me
An ongoing serial about neurosis, beginning with anxiety that burgeoned through my teenage years, and grew into issues also with depression and OCD, amongst other things.
The Other Me
‘The Lurking Shadow’ vi. Departure was a battle with the fear of shortness of breath. My brother John drove me to the airport. Everybody in my family suspected I was going with Allie, even though we’d been broken up for months. When we got to the airport and she was nowhere to be seen, I found out later my brother rang my sister in-law, Christine, and expressed a fear that maybe I was flying up there to off myself in some way – like Nicholas Cage drinking himself to death in Leaving Las Vegas. My sister in-law checked the award on the net and found out it was for real.…
The Other Me
‘The Lurking Shadow’ v. I threw myself into my editing. This was where I needed to be now: setting up my life, doing whatever it took. Because of Allie’s concerns with my socialising, I’d unwittingly cut off the bulk of my friends. Now it was just me and my back room. My bosses loved me and were supportive and encouraging. When I was with the job placement agency, Martina explained that some employers might have a problem with my issues with anxiety and depression. Not here. My authors also liked me, although I felt like an impostor. I was sure sooner or later somebody would turn around and tell the…