I could feel my pulse rising as his voice went in and out through the phone. This has got to be a nightmare. Wake up Melody; wake up for Christ’s sake!
“Melody! Are you even listening to me?” Darren asked.
“How could I not be? Why are you doing this over the phone? Do you even know how humiliating this is?” I whispered. The librarian shushed me and I could see every person in the room staring at me. I closed my notebook and quickly made my way to the restroom. “Breaking up over the phone? Really Darren? What did I do to deserve this? I love you…”
“There is someone else, Mel,” he said, cutting my statement short. I felt warm tears run down my cheeks. Of course there is someone else… there always is someone else. I grabbed some toilet paper from the bathroom stall, dabbing around my eyes.
“How long has this been going on?”
“A while… I don’t want to keep this a secret from you anymore. That’s why we need to break up.”
“After three years you want to end things just like that? What about the apartment? And Chicago?” I sniffled.
“Well it’s my name on the lease so I’m staying. We packed your stuff. All you have to do is pick it up. You can keep Chicago. I always hated that dog.”
“You… you packed my stuff?” I choked out. “You hate Chicago? Where is all of this coming from Darren? What did I do?” I could hear a few women snickering outside of the stall and my heart dropped. How they can just laugh while this is happening is beyond me.
“There is nothing to fix, Mel. I’m in love with someone else.”
“Who is she?” I asked. He sucked his teeth.
“Does that really matter?”
“Yes, I deserve to at least know who you’re leaving me for!” I screamed into the phone.
“Jade.” My mouth instantly went dry.
“Jade? My… my friend Jade??”
“I never meant for all of this to happen. I just need you to come pick up your stuff so we can move on with our lives.” I’m shocked that he is treating me like some hooker on the street. Laying the money down on the table and walking out of the room. He is acting as if the last three years meant nothing to him.
“Please don’t do...” Then there was silence. “Hello? Darren, are you there?” He just hung up on me. I placed my trembling hands over my face and cried. I can’t believe this is happening to me.
***
On the way to the apartment, I thought of the different ways that I could handle this situation. I could slap him across the face and tell him to go straight to hell, but what would that do? I looked in the rearview mirror at my puffy red eyes. All I have to do is go in there, grab my shit, and walk out… no questions asked. I used the back of my sleeve to dab under my nose and closed the door behind me.
The rain poured down on my head as a few people rushed into the coffee shop at the end of the street. That was our favorite spot to have breakfast. My house keys jingled in my hands when I knocked on the front door. It flew open, almost knocking me backward. Darren and Jade stepped aside and I could see my things in cardboard boxes on the floor. Wow, I guess three years really meant nothing to him and neither did an eight-year friendship. I made my way into the apartment and held back tears as the realization slowly hit me. Our relationship is really over…
“Melody, I hope there aren’t any hard feelings…” Jade started to say. I put up my hand for her to stop speaking.
My eyes scanned over her and my heart fell. This is the type of woman he is leaving me for? I used to always admire how many men she attracted, but now that I look at her… she is really ugly; on the inside and the outside. Her bronze skin is starting to turn orange from all the spray tanning. Even her implants are starting to look noticeable. Wrinkles are forming on her face due to the pounds of makeup that she wears and her teeth are starting to yellow from all the smoking. She looks ridiculous. “We can still be friends Mel. There is no reason we should let a guy get in the middle of things.” My head shot up in response. We can be what? Is she kidding me right now?
“Jade, if you say one more thing to me, I am going to rip out your tongue and strangle you with it. No friend of mine would ever do something like this to me,” I snapped. She went to say something else, but Darren pulled her into the other room; the living room that used to be ours. I carried the boxes to my car and put them in the back seat. This bastard didn’t even have the decency to help me. Once everything was packed up, I went back inside to get Chicago. Darren stood at the kitchen counter with his arms stretched out.
“Let me have it,” he said bracing himself. Oh honey, do not provoke me because I will claw your eyes out in a second.
“I’m not going to attack you, so put your arms down. All I need is Chicago and I will be on my way,” I said keeping my tears tame. He chuckled under his breath.
“Always the same thing with you; taking the shit that people throw at you,” he replied. Before I could stop myself, a sudden rage took over me. I pulled the keys out of my pocket and threw them across the room. Darren ducked and they hit the flower pot on the window sill.
“You selfish son of a bitch! How do you expect me to feel about all of this?” I screamed.
“I’m tired of you being such a coward! You never say what is actually on your mind or how you feel! You’re a fucking doormat, Mel.” I stared at him wordlessly, as Jade made her way over to him. I don’t even recognize this man in front of me. He is not the person I fell in love with.
“You want a reaction? Fine! I will give you a fucking reaction!” I stormed into the living room and picked up the vase his mother gave us for Christmas.
“What are you doing?!? That vase was over four hundred dollars!!!” I smashed it down on the ground. “MELODY!!” I stomped on the remains before grabbing the baseball bat that he kept in the corner of the room.
“What? You wanted a reaction right?” His eyes widened with fear. “RIGHT!?” I smacked the glass coffee table and it shattered to pieces. I swung the bat, hitting him in the leg.
“What the fuck, Mel???” He cradled his leg, rocking back and forth on the floor.
“Oh my god!! Are you insane!? I’m calling the police,” Jade said panicked. I pushed the end of the bat to her chest and she froze in place. Her entire body trembled and Darren looked as if he were about to soil himself. Out of the corner of my eye, Chicago sat by the door with his toy bunny in his mouth. I whistled and he scurried to my side.
“No need.” I pulled the bat away from her and she let out a sigh of relief. “You two deserve each other. Enjoy it while you can Jade; because he is going to do the same thing back to you.” I pulled Chicago’s leash out of my pocket, hooked it on his collar, and made my way out of the apartment, taking the bat with me.
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