12-04-2019, 03:02 PM
"Karen, that level of paranoid jealousy toward someone you know wouldn't hurt you exists for one purpose: to mask a guilty conscience. There's something going on that you haven't told Joe about, isn't there? Be honest with me." She sighed.
"Don't know why I'm telling you this, but we went out to the club a couple nights ago and I ran into an ex. We talked for a few minutes and ended up trading numbers. We've talked a couple of times since. He texted me before we left this morning."
"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here, Karen: The ex was the one who ended things because some other girl came along and turned his head, didn't he?" Karen nodded yes again, looking back down at the ground. "And some time in between the club and this morning's text, one of you called the other and you talked for a little bit, laughed about how some former mutual friends that either of you lost in the split are doing now, and soon it was 'Hey, why DID we ever break up, anyway,' wasn't it?"
Karen gave another nod yes, followed by the beginning of sobbing. Troy took the paper napkins he'd picked up with the popcorn and offered one to her. When she took it, he put his hand on her shoulder and gave Joe a look that said "I'm just trying to comfort her, ok?" Joe got the message and nodded his understanding, remembering that Troy was going to talk to her privately and get to him soon.
"So, did anything happen, Karen? Did you meet up with him somewhere? Or make plans to? Be honest, now."
"No," she responded, feeling the overwhelming need to be honest to Troy and fighting back tears, using the napkin to take care of the ones that had already come from her eyes. "It's come up, but not yet."
"Well, that's good, Karen. Except for the part where you punished Joe for the ex's crimes just now because you're looking for a justification to call him up and arrange that meeting. The fact that you had to reach that far for it tells me that maybe Joe's not a bad... you know, I didn't even ask if he's your boyfriend or husband or..."
"Boyfriend," Karen said as the sobbing stopped. "We've been going out for three months, we just moved in together two weeks ago."
"Ok, so maybe he's not a BAD boyfriend, but he could be better. And maybe some quirk that bugged you a little is now something that you have to live with every day and it's making you think how the ex never did that?" Karen thought for a moment, then agreed. "I know I'm lucky in that regard. My wife has been my best friend all our lives, so we entered into the relationship and marriage fully aware of, and ok with, all those annoying little things about each other."
"I thought you said you had a girlfriend."
"I do. And they love each other too. My situation isn't yours, Karen; there are other factors that make it work for everyone. You don't think there's anything weird about it." Karen nodded, not thinking there was anything weird about it. "You've made an error, but it hasn't become a mistake yet. When you fail to correct an error is when it graduates to a mistake. My suggestion would be that if Joe's a good enough guy to see past whatever the little thing is, lose the ex's number. He hurt you once, and if he knows about Joe and is still pursuing you, he hasn't changed and he probably just wants to use you to put some other girl through what you experienced; and then he'll do it to you again. I'll go have a word with Joe. He seems like an ok guy; if you follow my advice and end things with your ex before they begin, then there'll be no reason for me to bring it up and hurt him, ok?"
Karen smiled and agreed. She took out her phone. "On it."
"Cool. And if the ex won't take the hint, here's my card. Don't worry about the business stuff unless you want to talk about it later; the second number is the phone that's always with me. I'll have a word with him. I'll give Joe one too. He'll want it when we're done talking, just like you do." She took the business card that she suddenly really wanted and read it.
"Troy Equals Financial Planning. Troy Equals: President, Treasurer, and CEO; Ph.D. pending?"
"Little business I've come up with while working on my doctorate; I help people find budgets and investment plans that they can stick to. The name was a total accident. Or, rather, that wasn't why my wife and I picked it when we got married. HER card says 'Julie Equals Graphic Design,' which I think works for an artist. She did my logo. Here, go ahead and finish my popcorn. I'll get a new bag for Joe, and we'll probably all want a soda afterwards."
Troy walked back toward the popcorn vendor, giving Joe a "just going to get this, and then be right there" gesture along the way. As he put his hands in his pockets while waiting for the current customer to finish, the thought of last night in bed with Julie crossed his mind and he wondered what she was doing.
* * *
"Don't know why I'm telling you this, but we went out to the club a couple nights ago and I ran into an ex. We talked for a few minutes and ended up trading numbers. We've talked a couple of times since. He texted me before we left this morning."
"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here, Karen: The ex was the one who ended things because some other girl came along and turned his head, didn't he?" Karen nodded yes again, looking back down at the ground. "And some time in between the club and this morning's text, one of you called the other and you talked for a little bit, laughed about how some former mutual friends that either of you lost in the split are doing now, and soon it was 'Hey, why DID we ever break up, anyway,' wasn't it?"
Karen gave another nod yes, followed by the beginning of sobbing. Troy took the paper napkins he'd picked up with the popcorn and offered one to her. When she took it, he put his hand on her shoulder and gave Joe a look that said "I'm just trying to comfort her, ok?" Joe got the message and nodded his understanding, remembering that Troy was going to talk to her privately and get to him soon.
"So, did anything happen, Karen? Did you meet up with him somewhere? Or make plans to? Be honest, now."
"No," she responded, feeling the overwhelming need to be honest to Troy and fighting back tears, using the napkin to take care of the ones that had already come from her eyes. "It's come up, but not yet."
"Well, that's good, Karen. Except for the part where you punished Joe for the ex's crimes just now because you're looking for a justification to call him up and arrange that meeting. The fact that you had to reach that far for it tells me that maybe Joe's not a bad... you know, I didn't even ask if he's your boyfriend or husband or..."
"Boyfriend," Karen said as the sobbing stopped. "We've been going out for three months, we just moved in together two weeks ago."
"Ok, so maybe he's not a BAD boyfriend, but he could be better. And maybe some quirk that bugged you a little is now something that you have to live with every day and it's making you think how the ex never did that?" Karen thought for a moment, then agreed. "I know I'm lucky in that regard. My wife has been my best friend all our lives, so we entered into the relationship and marriage fully aware of, and ok with, all those annoying little things about each other."
"I thought you said you had a girlfriend."
"I do. And they love each other too. My situation isn't yours, Karen; there are other factors that make it work for everyone. You don't think there's anything weird about it." Karen nodded, not thinking there was anything weird about it. "You've made an error, but it hasn't become a mistake yet. When you fail to correct an error is when it graduates to a mistake. My suggestion would be that if Joe's a good enough guy to see past whatever the little thing is, lose the ex's number. He hurt you once, and if he knows about Joe and is still pursuing you, he hasn't changed and he probably just wants to use you to put some other girl through what you experienced; and then he'll do it to you again. I'll go have a word with Joe. He seems like an ok guy; if you follow my advice and end things with your ex before they begin, then there'll be no reason for me to bring it up and hurt him, ok?"
Karen smiled and agreed. She took out her phone. "On it."
"Cool. And if the ex won't take the hint, here's my card. Don't worry about the business stuff unless you want to talk about it later; the second number is the phone that's always with me. I'll have a word with him. I'll give Joe one too. He'll want it when we're done talking, just like you do." She took the business card that she suddenly really wanted and read it.
"Troy Equals Financial Planning. Troy Equals: President, Treasurer, and CEO; Ph.D. pending?"
"Little business I've come up with while working on my doctorate; I help people find budgets and investment plans that they can stick to. The name was a total accident. Or, rather, that wasn't why my wife and I picked it when we got married. HER card says 'Julie Equals Graphic Design,' which I think works for an artist. She did my logo. Here, go ahead and finish my popcorn. I'll get a new bag for Joe, and we'll probably all want a soda afterwards."
Troy walked back toward the popcorn vendor, giving Joe a "just going to get this, and then be right there" gesture along the way. As he put his hands in his pockets while waiting for the current customer to finish, the thought of last night in bed with Julie crossed his mind and he wondered what she was doing.
* * *
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