Forever in Blue

I was not paying attention to titles of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. Forever in Blue is The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood. Do hope the library has the ten-years-later novel ~ the one I read a review that caused me to become interested in the story.

One of the characters in Forever in Blue was trying to walk off her despair. After passing a homeless woman for the third time she handed her a five-dollar bill. The girl wondered how this had happened to the woman; "Probably all started with a teenage pregnancy.", she thinks. Could be, but more likely started with some type of abuse, rape, drug/alcohol abuse or military service.

Tibby was comparing her boyfriend to other guys. "Most guys said they'd call you tomorrow and they called you the next Saturday or not at all.", and "They kept you comfortless, wanting and wishing, and annoyed at yourself for every moment you spent that way."

I do not remember being annoyed at myself waiting upon husband to come home. I do remember the feelings as the clock ticked away from the hour he should have arrived home from work. Worry, at first, maybe he had an accident, giving way to, "Not again!" anger, giving way to maybe he had an accident this time. When he finally walks in the door, drunk as a skunk (who made up that expression, I wonder), the urge to kill rises up.

It is like toothache or something; try not to think about it, yet the brain keeps returning to the pain. People say forgive and forget. So the first time it happens, forgiveness comes easy, well, fairly easy, after calming down. The next time and the time after that, the brain remembers the first time, the twenty-fifth time and every time in between. Can put dinner away, do the dishes, but sleep will not come.

I do remember being annoyed at myself many years later, when history sort-of repeated itself. I knew better! I was not married; would not allow self to get in that kind of non-relationship again. Yet I did. I would get the guy out of my life; get over it in a day or two, be normal again, obsessing stopped. I hope any teen that reads this book, takes heed: if he leaves you comfortless, wanting, wishing, annoyed at yourself, ditch him and keep his ditched ~ it will only get worse.