Accepting Fear—Escaping Pain
- Andy tells the psychologist that sometimes he doesn't even want to get out of bed; he feels like he's carrying a big weight around and it gets too heavy.
- The doc understands. He wants to know if Andy has seen or heard from Robbie's parents lately. Then he suggests that Andy writes them a letter, telling them how he feels.
- Andy's not so sure this is a good plan—he doesn't want to give them more reason to hate him—but the doc insists. It could be good for Andy to write some of his feelings down and let someone else in on his world.
- Andy agrees to think about it. Then he tells the doc a story about going on a long walk with Keisha the other day.
- They went by where the accident happened, and Andy couldn't believe how little the wall was. That night, when he was drinking, it seemed huge, but it was only about four feet. Isn't that weird?
- He kept looking below and seeing the cars pass under the overpass. He got really close to the edge and started thinking about jumping off. What would happen if he did?
- Before he could do it, Keisha stopped him. He thanked her and kissed her, and then they went home.
- The doc asks him if he wants to die, and Andy isn't sure. Right after the accident, he thought about it a lot, but now he doesn't know—when he talks about death, people get all squirmy.
- Andy admits that being dead seems like the only way he'll ever feel alive again. He doesn't really feel alive now. He's just going through the motions.
- The doc gets it. He thinks it might be good for Andy to write that note to Robbie's parents. He can share some of his memories of Robbie and work through them in the process.
- He also reminds Andy that he'll answer the phone—day or night—if Andy ever needs to talk. He tells Andy not to worry about the time, and to just call if he feels suicidal, no matter what.