The needle and the spoon

Reminiscing about you.
20 years ago.
It was supposed to be something intimate, between us.
Just for fun here and there.
The fun stopped when you fell in love with the needle and the spoon.
How could I compete?
At 22 the answer was to join you, so I wouldn't be left out.
I used to respect you so much.
If you told me the sky was purple, it didn't matter what my own two eyes saw.
I believed you.
I remember the day our relationship changed.
It was the day I watched you hide in the closet from the dope man.
My big strong man, hiding in a pile of dirty clothes so he wouldn't get shot.
I never forgot that day.
How we made it to the other side I'll never know.
We did and I am glad.
I have to respect you to love you.
The day you hid in the dirty laundry was my turning point.
Something so simple, yet so huge.
I loved our life, the ups and downs, but I will never again compete with something I can't win.