When I woke up that Friday morning, I thought I had broken up with the greatest love of my life. Everything tasted bland, even the coffee that I loved so dearly. My decision later in the day to go out with my girlfriends was purely because I couldn’t trust myself not to go through all the memories I shared with ‘the greatest love of my life’, who had just become my ex.
I was deep in my heartbreak when Jay walked into the room with two others. I knew I was in trouble because I quickly forgot I was mourning my break-up and turned my attention to him. I couldn’t immediately put a finger on it, but he looked like an interesting piece of art you wanted to analyse piece by piece.
Maybe it was the cocktails that we were already having that gave me the confidence to talk to him, but it felt very out of character to show my fascination. My instinct was spot on because he was a great conversationalist.
Jay knew something about almost everything. He could have a conversation with anybody. You know the kind who can have a lively conversation with an 80-year-old grandma and then turn to a four-year-old and do the same? That was Jay.
Later on, when we started dating and would take long drives to unwind, I was fascinated by how he could chat up locals at random places, and we’d have interesting experiences because he’d uncover hidden gems or a local would give him the best tips for enjoying a place or food.
His personality aligned with his career. He flew around the world and came back with buckets of stories, ideas, images and gifts. It was exciting at first. Then the trouble arrived.
Jay, being a social butterfly, was always hanging out with friends. Many of his friends were either colleagues or people in the same industry. At first, the fun masked much, but as I spent more time with them, I started paying attention to what they talked about.
My silence on the way home triggered him to ask what was bothering me.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Come on. I know when something is bothering you,” said Jay.
“Your friends talk about cheating with so much ease,” I said.
“You know how men are and the nature of the job,” Jay responded.
“So you’re saying it’s expected?” I asked angrily.
“That’s not what I said. Why are we fighting over something that’s not directly related to us?” Jay asked.
“Your friend said I should feel lucky because with someone in your profession, I’m assured of a good life, although it comes with a little cheating here and there,” I said.
We arrived at Jay’s place. He turned to me and asked why I was angry at him while he hadn’t said any of those things.
“Am I to believe you don’t share in any of those opinions or activities?” I asked him.
“I’m not a saint, but each of those things is a personal choice,” he said.
We argued a bit more until we were exhausted and went to bed. Jay hadn’t done anything yet to raise my suspicion, but spending time with his friends and hearing them talk about their lives made me insecure.
I found myself worried about his whereabouts when he was at work. It didn’t help that he was sometimes gone for a couple of weeks at a time. Every time he brought me gifts, I wondered whether he was using them to cover up for any mischief.
The tension between us increased. I limited my time with him and his friends. He also mentioned that the matter to them, so it felt like they were being careful about what they said around me. It didn’t help that Jay picked very lovely gifts.
People often asked about the jewellery, clothing items and gadgets he got me. They told me how lucky I was, but that’s not how I felt. Then the shoe dropped. I was using his laptop to look up something when a message from Ivy came in.
“Ivy texted you,” I said.
The look on his face said it all. After trying to tell me a lie, he eventually confessed that she worked for another airline and had hung out with her a couple of times. They had been intimate once, but he said it was a mistake, and they had decided it would never happen again.
“We? We decided it was a mistake and it would never happen again.” I asked him.
“I’m so sorry,” said Jay.
“Yet you’re still chatting with her? I must look like a fool to you,” I said as I walked out.
That was the last time I ever spoke to him, and I warned the mutual friends not to tell me anything about him.
Check out more stories from The Singlehood Series
He Bragged About His Bad Dating Habits
My Date Tried To Bribe Me With An Expensive Gift
I Became A Matchmaker For My Friends Instead Of Dating
He Quit His Job Without Consulting Her, Then Expected Her To Keep Covering The Bills
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