Sméagol's Redeption

Chapter 10

The next day, Bri and Lea were sitting outside on Lea's front porch swing, enjoying some refreshing Frazils.

"Last night was fun," said Lea.

"Yeah, it was," Bri agreed. "I'm glad you came to the group."

"Me, too."

"Do you think you wanna come regularly?"

"Yeah, I'd really love that."

"Good, because everyone really loved your singing, especially that Sméagol."

Lea smiled. "He was really nice."

"Yeah, he was a sweetheart. You know, I could tell he was really lonely and hurting badly. Just by the way he was so eager to be your friend, and the way he connected with you, I could see that he had it really rough."

"Yeah. I don't understand why people hated him so much."

"I don't, either. I know addiction can really mess you up. I mean, trust me. I know. It really screwed up my life. But, why are people so quick to judge?"

"Yeah, I mean... I met you when you were deep in your eating disorder, and I never saw you as anything other than the awesome person you are. You've never done anything to hurt me, and I never saw you as a trouble-maker just because of your addiction."

Bri put her arm around Lea. "Thanks, Honey, but I know I've done a lot of horrible things to people. That's what addiction does to you. You'll feel relieved, but it's only temporary. In the end, it only brings you pain and misery. You lose your health, and you lose relationships. You're really lucky if you find people that stick around through it all, and don't walk out on you. Not that I blame the people that left me, but I'm just saying, finding people that stuck around, people like you and Damian, I was really lucky."

"Yeah, but... it shouldn't be like that. I mean, like you always say, eating disorders thrive on secrecy and loneliness."

"That is true. That's why it's a good idea to talk about it a lot more."

"It just really hurts me that people turned on Sméagol, just like it hurts me that people turned on you."

"But, you never did."

"Yeah. I'm glad I stuck around, because I got to see you recover."

Bri smiled and hugged Lea. "I'm glad you stuck around, too, Sweetie. I don't know how I would've gotten through it without you and Damian." Then, she changed the subject. "So, how's the silent treatment going?"

"Good. I haven't called or texted him at all this weekend. He called me this morning, and I didn't answer."

"Good for you. I hope this gets through to him... for your sake. I want you to be happy."

Meanwhile, Aini and Sméagol were enjoying some leftover pizza from the JamFam group.

"I'm really proud of you, Sméagol," said Aini. "You made that woman feel really good last night. You were kind to her. You listened to her, and you really lifted her spirits. How did that make you feel?"

"It felt good," said Sméagol.

"And, I'm proud of you, too, Gollum."

"I didn't do anything nice," said Gollum, confused.

"Yes, you did. You didn't try to stop Sméagol from comforting Lea. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is. In the past, you would try to talk Sméagol out of befriending anyone. This time, you didn't. That's huge."

"We didn't want her to be sad," said Gollum. "It made us feel sad."

"See? You do care. Maybe because you know how awful it feels to be treated so badly over something you have little to no control over. You know how much it hurts to be judged, and you know what it feels like to be so alone."

"Yes."

"You do have a good heart, Gollum, and you do have a kind soul. Don't be afraid to show it. Plus, Lea's been through a lot, and she's really hurting. She really needs friends."

"But, what if she hates us?"

"She won't. She really likes Sméagol, because he was there for her. She'll like you, too. All she needs is people who genuinely care about her. She's had too many fakes in her life. They really hurt her, and made her believe she's worthless."

"She's not worthless," said Sméagol.

"No, she's precious," said Gollum.

"Yeah, she is," said Aini, "but she doesn't see it. It's hard to see your worth when so many tell you otherwise."

Gollum's eyes filled with tears. "We knows how that feels."

"I know you do. That's why I know you and Sméagol will be great friends for her. You both get it. You both understand her pain, and she'll understand yours. I think you need each other."

"But, what if she hates us when she finds out what we did?" asked Sméagol.

Aini smiled. "I don't think she will. I think she'll understand."

Gollum smiled warmly. "Thank you, Precious."

"Aww." Aini hugged Gollum.