The Breakup: Harvey was late again. He lumbered up the staircase to his San Francisco flat, grumbling about the messy state his boyfriend Jack had left it in. Papers and pots were strewn about the apartment. The disarray was most likely the result of an earlier tiff about Harveys recent work schedule. Several notes had been pinned on the walls leading to the dining room. One such note read, You always loved the circus Harvey. How do you like my last act? Harvey pulled back the curtain it had been pinned to, and revealed Jacks limp body hung from a rope in the kitchen. Harvey pulled a knife out from a nearby drawer and cut Jack free from the rope in an instant. Later that evening, several friends came to the apartment to console Harvey. They told him there was nothing he could have done to stop Jacks suicide. Tears streamed from his face as he slumped forward. In his horror, Harvey managed to let out one more sentence, I could have come home at six fifteen instead of six oclock. What Makes It So Brilliantly Devastating: Relationships are difficult enough in nature. When combined with substance abuse or mental illness, they become downright impossible. Jack and Harvey always had a tempestuous relationship. Their first meeting, a drunken encounter, plays like fun romp until you realize that chaos and disorientation became commonplace in their household. Harveys guilt over having been an absentee partner is something many have experienced, though hopefully with less dire consequences. He should know that he wasnt responsible for Jacks suicide, that he couldnt have possibly predicted such an event. Like many in relationships marred by drugs, alcohol, or mental illness, he may not have been able to separate his own actions with Jacks distorted interpretation and response. Jacks inner turmoil caused him to view Harvey as a funhouse mirror, something to project an exaggerated vision of his own flaws and insecurities. It was a near-impossible position for any person to be in.
Relationships are difficult enough in nature. When combined with substance abuse or mental illness, they become downright impossible. Jack and Harvey always had a tempestuous relationship. Their first meeting, a drunken encounter, plays like fun romp until you realize that chaos and disorientation became commonplace in their household. Harveys guilt over having been an absentee partner is something many have experienced, though hopefully with less dire consequences. He should know that he wasnt responsible for Jacks suicide, that he couldnt have possibly predicted such an event. Like many in relationships marred by drugs, alcohol, or mental illness, he may not have been able to separate his own actions with Jacks distorted interpretation and response. Jacks inner turmoil caused him to view Harvey as a funhouse mirror, something to project an exaggerated vision of his own flaws and insecurities. It was a near-impossible position for any person to be in.