I kept texting my ex-coworker after she quit. Just memes. Funny stuff from the office. โYouโre missing this chaos.โ Sheโd reply with laughing emojis. We did this for months. Then she stopped responding. I figured she moved on. Made new friends. Forgot about our inside jokes.
Kept sending memes anyway. Once a week. No responses. Just kept going. Felt stupid but couldnโt stop. Sheโd been my work best friend. Only person who got my humor.
Six months of silence. Then one day. โIโm so sorry I havenโt replied. Iโve been in treatment. Depression got really bad after I left that job. Your memes were the only thing that made me smile some days. Iโd read them in group therapy. Saved every single one. They kept me goingโ
I sat at my desk crying. Had no idea she was struggling. No idea those stupid memes mattered. โWhy didnโt you tell me?โ She replied. โI couldnโt tell anyone. But knowing you were still thinking of me. Still trying to make me laugh. It helped more than you knowโ
We meet for coffee now. Once a month. Sheโs doing better. Showed me her phone. Folder labeled โHope.โ Every meme I sent. Hundreds of them. โOn bad days I scroll through these. Remind myself someone cared enough to keep trying.โ
I still send memes. But now she responds. And now I know they matter more than I thought.
โJake M., Texas