MONDAY, MAY 13
Dear Diary,
I hate me. I have for a while. Since 16, I think? Let's say 16. That makes it an even 10 years. Should I celebrate?
Apparently, I'm finally getting help. Greg's coworker suggested a doctor friend of his, Dr. Crick, then Greg insisted and insisted until I finally went. I know I need some help, but honestly I just ran out of excuses.
So now I'm going to take pills. I have a sample pack to start. Greg made me promise I'd take one when I got home. I haven't yet. The doctor promised me that it wouldn't change who I am, just how I feel, whatever that means. Then he talked about how the treatment is going to go. Weekly checkups, increasing dosages. I don't know what it is, but that made me so paranoid. I don't like the look of the pills either. It's scary how little there is to identify them. White and huge, no markings on the side of the pill nor the blister packaging. I can't even look them up online. I sent an email to Dr. Crick's patient liaison to see if they can send me any info.
Greg really wants me to take it so I'm going to. First, I wanted to start this. Having an objective, immutable record makes me feel a lot better about it for some reason. Whatever this does to me, I should be able to tell, you know? If there's progress, I want to see. If something changes I don't like, I want to see that too.
Okay, I don't know what else to write. Here's looking forward to a better me.
-Danielle
TUESDAY, MAY 14
Dear Diary,
Okay. No issues so far. Am I still me? I don't know. I haven't written very much yet, have I?
I used to write. Shitty poetry. Really shitty. It's out there online somewhere too. Forever embarrassing me.
It was a way of venting, I suppose. I never thought much of it. I just wrote. Then, somewhere around 20, I just lost it. First, it was writer's block. Then, it was school. Then, when I gave up on school, it was work. Then, one day I looked at what I had written and decided it was a stupid thing to do. That was that. I haven't really written anything since.
Even this is hard for me to write. I'm sighing. I suck.
Hi, my name is Danielle. How are you? I am good, other than the strong urge to go take a nap and never get up. I work at a car wash and sell deluxe packages for a living, aren't I pathetic?
Somehow, I don't think this is a good night to be writing. I'll take a hack at this when I'm feeling better. Maybe when these pills kick in.
-Danielle
- - -
Dear Diary,
Almost choked on a pill tonight! As much as I've thought about killing myself, that's one way I don't want to go out. These things are for horses!
I definitely feel odd. I don't know how to describe it. Like someone tickling my brain? That's not quite right, but close. It's weird. My lips feel numb tonight. I read that some antidepressants do that. Didn't find the brain tickling though. Hopefully the liaison gets back to me soon.
-Danielle
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
Dear Danielle,
YOU'RE A PIECE OF SHIT. YOU'RE STUPID. KILL YOURSELF. STOP WRITING AND CRYING AND KILL YOURSELF.
-Your soul
- - -
Sorry, that was harsh, Diary. Don't mind me, I'm just really down today. Work sucks, that asshole Scott from across the hall won't keep his damn nu metal down, and I hate this medicine. I feel so weird. Still haven't heard from the damn liaison. Greg keeps insisting I take it. I want to stop. I want everything to stop.
THURSDAY, MAY 16
Dear Diary,
Feeling a little better today. I actually cleaned my apartment. Congratulations, Danielle, you did a simple task! Don't you feel like a big girl?
That's not fair. It's progress.
Actually feeling friendly enough to let Greg take me to dinner. That's fun.
-Danielle
- - -
Dear Diary,
I sound crazy, don't I?
Depression is like someone tied invisible weights on your arms and legs and told you to go play soccer. Then, while you're playing, they sneak up and put more on. It gets worse and worse until you want to just go sit down. Everybody else is running around, smiling. Why are you sitting down? Everybody's staring at you like there's something wrong with you. There is, you're depressed. But they can't see it, and you don't want to be a bitch about it. You've gotta walk it off and play some more. They also can't see the asshole sneaking the weights onto you, the same one who sits there and tells you how much you suck. Eventually, you just want to stop playing soccer, but when you go home, that same asshole calls you repeatedly, and leaves voicemails telling you how much of a wuss you are. That girl with no arms can play soccer, why can't you?
Or maybe it's like being tied up in a chair while someone holds jumper cable to your chest. You want to get away, but you can't. The pain keeps coming and coming and there's nothing to do to stop it. You just want someone to kill you. Put you out of it. But there's also that voice that lies and says it's going to get better eventually. It's not. This is forever.
That's depression. It's painful, it's paralyzing, it's stupid, and there's no escape. Sometimes, I don't even know what to hate myself for. Just something. Anything. Hate, hate, hate me. Does that make sense? Is that crazy?
And yes, I know I suck at metaphors.
-Danielle Depression :(
SATURDAY, MAY 18
Dear Diary,
Totally spaced on writing yesterday. Didn't do so well today at work either. Only made a couple upsells. Literally, 2. While that smug asshole Damien has put up 6 a day the last couple days. I barely made my quota yesterday. Can't get my spiel right, I feel too spacey. This is going to be a hard weekend. I'm trying to not be down about it.
I'm tired of sales. I've been doing this for about 3 years. It's boring. People say I have a nice smile. I look in the mirror and I see a girl who's too big up top and too small down below. I've got the curse of big tits but no looks to go with it. Back hurts, and they sag too much. They're gross. My teeth stick out and I've gotta give my eyebrows a wax job to get them halfway into shape. I've got too much hair. It's boringly brown and hideously frizzy. I look more like an ogre than a supermodel. Personality is all I've got, and there's not much to that, is there? The point is, I hate sales, you know?
Ugh. I feel weird tonight. Not much more to write, I guess.
-Danielle
- - -
Still haven't heard from the liaison. Remember to ask during your appointment Tuesday.
SUNDAY, MAY 19
Dear Diary,
Fuck yes! Weekend is over! I made no sales today and I don't care! Damien can have his sad little victory. He's been gunning for me since he came on. Cool, dude, you beat me.
I always feel like I've written too little. I just don't know what to write in these things. Reading back over what I've written causes me to wince. I guess I'm imagining someone reading these. Someone other than me. I hate how I sound.
Let's talk about Greg. I like him. You might say I love him. I certainly say I do. That's cheesy, isn't it? Why do I keep asking questions? Is my diary going to answer?
Anyway, Greg! He's the best. While he's a bit bossy when things get serious, that's not the norm. Usually he's really laid back. He's certainly patient. He has to be to put up with a girlfriend who doesn't answer his calls for days. Or calls him in the middle of the night to tell him how sad, lonely, and pathetic she feels. Or gets angry at the drop of a hat. He takes all the abuse and sadness that comes with me and I couldn't love him more for it. Though sometimes I wonder if he's just desperate to put up with it all. I hope that's not true.