The words vary, but the thought is the same. “I’m not happy living with this person, but I don’t think I can live without him (or her). I cannot, for some reason, find it within myself to face the aloneness that every human being must face or continue to run from: that of being ultimately and solely responsible for taking care of myself. I don’t believe I can take care of myself. I’m not sure I want to. I need a person, any person, to buffer the shock of my solitary condition. No matter what the cost.”
