#precinct 41

If someone suspects that their friend has spare keys to their apartment, but happens to be on... currently weird terms with said friend? Um. To the point of kiiiind of avoiding each other a little bit (at least I — well, *they* think that's what's happening?), as said someone isn't really sure how to make things okay again... and has kind of been procrastinating getting into their own apartment because of it...

How would you, like, uh, suggest they bring it up to said friend without coming off as a total prick? This someone has already lost a couple of uhhh valuables, so the key thing feels extra embarrassing. And they kind of planned to have fixed things relationship-wise by now but... Yeah.

Any suggestions?

/Spare keys anon

Alright. I get it now.

If you want to avoid the conversation altogether, ask your building manager if they have a spare, or hire a locksmith and replace the lock.

If that's not what you want, then stop looking for the perfect way to bring it up. There isn't one.

Tell them you haven’t been able to reach out to make amends until now. Explain what happened. Apologize if you owe them one. Then ask about the key.

If they're your friend, they'll probably appreciate that you spoke to them honestly more than the conversation itself.

. . .

I’m a sleep alone on my shit mattress type of person.

Trant Heidelstam.

Heidelstam is one of the people in the precinct that makes me feel normal, that’s not necessarily a compliment on either one of us. He’s fine. He talks too much sometimes, knows too much maybe, but he’s fine.

Annoying to a fault, but who isn’t. He gets away with too much by knowing the things he does. He doesn’t yell to get what he wants, he simply talks.

He’s the type of person who’ll listen to Harry’s insane theories for hours on fucking end and somehow enjoy it. Harry will spend twenty minutes constructing an argument and Heidelstam will respond with a single sentence that completely derails it.

I appreciate how he views people. His observation isn’t judgmental, it’s a search for knowledge. He just wants to understand. He knows things about me I don't remember telling him, because he’s always fucking watching.

—

We all do. Not all of us end up coping with alcohol.

Hating yourself isn't unique. Regret isn't unique. Neither is making mistakes you have to live with. What he’s doing to himself isn’t excusable.

I do what I can for him. Maybe I have to remind myself not everyone can be helped. At some point, what he does with that is his decision. .