Stories no one wants to hear, pt. I

She was vibrant, earthy and joyful. I remember her, preening in a corner. She knew our eyes were on her, and she loved it. She didn't have any make-up on. She wore a long-sleeve shirt with horizontal stripes and jeans.

That night I was maintaining a tiresome charade for my ex-girlfriend. She didn't want anyone to know we'd broken up. She made me wait several months before I was allowed to tell people we were dating. In a misguided attempt to avoid becoming the latest piece of gossip, she deemed it a clever idea to do the same thing coming out of the relationship.

I had little patience for this. I wasn't very good at holding up this fantasy, and I wanted to get a better handle on loving her in a way that was healthy.

She asked a lot of me that night, and I responded with disgruntled murmurs. The shining light in the corner could see how I was acting with my "girlfriend". She later reported to her ex-boyfriend that I certainly didn't treat my girlfriends well. Somehow this didn't put her off me. She really does have terrible taste, praise God.