Chapter 2 – Anxiety

As weeks went by, so did some of the boxes that had caused him so much anxiety. While optimism was his new slogan, it was hard to keep it up, when unpacking haphazardly packed boxes. The bold decision to move was perhaps the best thing he could do for himself. 

His old place was a mausoleum of what once was… his past-self and the life he made with his previous partner. 

There was no reason for him to say in a place that was encapsulated with so many memories in every corner. The various parties hosted, the shared meals, the late nights after partying, the laughter, the fights, and ultimately the divorce. Him and his partner, Adam, had started to build a life of their own, but some things are not meant to last forever. 

Christopher, Topher for short, had to make this change for himself. He needed to prove to himself that he could come out the otherside, better and more experienced. It probably wasn’t wise that he’d tossed old photos in the same box as some of his clothes that he had misplaced while packing drunk. He also wished he’d properly labeled the boxes before the move. 

In any case, Topher was in shock when he discovered the photographs of him and his ex partner. Slightly torn and bent at the edges, these photos still held some significant meaning to him. When you have a relationship that doesn’t last long, it’s easy to get rid of the evidence. But when you are someone like Topher, who spent the last 7 years with Adam, it can be a bit harder to untangle those memories. Among the pictures was a beloved photo of his family at last year’s Christmas, it was hard to look at because Adam was in it too, tightly hugging him in that ugly sweater his grandparents had gotten him. 

The happy and not so savory moments are mixed together so tightly, it almost seems impossible to sort through it all. Though he knew better, Topher decided to sort through Pandora’s box of old photos. It was his nature to be sentimental, a gift and curse some might say. Photo after photo, he just remembered the moments spent together with Adam. 

So many feelings started to culminate from within. Overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. He had to start this journey all over again. He paused for a moment to take another sip of his wine. The stack of photos in his hands had slipped and presented a collage of everything he had left behind. 

There was something in that moment that Topher couldn’t shake. Oddly enough in that instance, the song Photograph by Nickelback started playing on his Spotify.