Between the Cracks

My Sister He’s always doing too much. Says he cares, but then disappears. He’s reckless. Unreliable. He broke my toilet on purpose. I swear he did. He acts like nothing is his fault…but I’ve seen it. He makes messes and leaves. But then… he texts “hope you’re okay” like we’re still family. I don’t know what he wants.

Her Partner…the Plumber, the Father of Her Kid Guy’s got no idea what real work looks like. A house is held together by what you don’t see. And him? He’s duct tape. Not foundation.

My Ex Boss at the Government Job He was smart. Too smart. Didn’t respect the process. Kept skipping steps because he thought he knew better. Maybe he did. But people like that don’t last in government. They go rogue. They get fired.

My Startup Boss at Nearmap He was a risk. A passionate, chaotic wildcard. He lit up in meetings. Clients liked him. But we couldn’t pin him down. That energy? Doesn’t fit in a quarterly report.

Todd He’s complicated. But when he’s on, he’s on. Belays with heart. Tries hard. Doesn’t quit easy, even when he says he will. I don’t think he sees how much better he’d be with structure. But I get it. He’s built for open air, not cubicles.

My Mother He always had potential. But he wastes it. I gave him help…real help…and he made me feel like the enemy. I didn’t raise him to be this unstable. But he’s still my son. Even if I don’t always like the version he’s become. Even if I cry when he emails me instead of calling.

My Father He knows I’m proud of him, right? I just don’t say it much. We’re not the kind of family that talks about stuff. He’s always been intense. Always wanted more from the world than it was willing to give. Sometimes I wish he’d just… settle down. But he never really believed in settling.

My Daughter’s Mother He was magnetic. But not safe. I didn’t need him to be perfect…just present. And he wasn’t. I tried. Now I protect what matters most: our daughter. And I won’t let her call someone “dad” just because of biology. He can wait. Like I had to.

My Doctor He’s exhausted. But alert. The way he explains things…like he’s lived twelve lives and didn’t rest in any of them. Blood pressure’s fine, but something’s off. He doesn’t sleep right. Doesn’t eat like a person with roots. I asked if he wanted a referral. He said he didn’t have time. I believed him.

A Former Coworker He was always pacing. Always had a side hustle. Once he brought a climbing harness to the office and demoed it during lunch. People rolled their eyes. But he made you want to believe there was more to life than this place. He wasn’t built for cubicles. I hope he figured it out.

A Hostile Airbnb Guest The hot tub didn’t work. He responded too late. Place was weird. Energy was weird. But… he refunded me. Maybe he’s not a bad guy. Just a mess.

Someone I Ghosted He was always halfway here. Talked like a poet, vanished like a ghost. I never knew if he meant what he said. But it felt like he did. That’s what made it worse.

The Aussie in Krabi He’s a unit, man. Bit all over the place, but heart’s in the right spot. Turned up with no ferry ticket, no plan, still climbed hard. Never seen someone down so bad and still psyched to hangdog. Hope he figures it out, aye?

The Brit in Krabi Bit chaotic. But decent bloke. Talks fast. Thinks faster. Wakes up late but somehow gets to the crag. Bit exhausting to keep up with, to be honest. But he always makes you laugh halfway through a route. Could probably use a proper nap and a pension plan.

Rod We’ve been through it. Business. Friendship. Shared debt. Shared dreams. I know his heart. He’s got vision most people don’t. But sometimes he leaves fires half lit. I help where I can. We hold different pieces of the same mess…and that’s okay. I wouldn’t do this with anyone else.

My Daughter, Maybe One Day I don’t know him. But I know he writes. And climbs. And tries, even when he’s not sure how. I don’t know if I’ll ever call him dad. But I think he wanted to be one.