EVEN LOVE CAN HURT YOU

Life was just not the same in Mayville, so I decided to leave the city. After quickly disposing of most of my unneeded possessions, I started contemplating where and when to move. So many different places came to my mind, but I settled on Flintwood, a town roughly fifteen hundred miles away from Mayville. I had a strong feeling that a start would be easier for me there if my friend, Rick still worked and lived there. Unfortunately for me, I had not been in touch with Rick for more than five years.  As a matter of fact, I couldn’t even tell whether or not he still lived in this city, and the only way to find out was to take my chances to go check him out. During Rick’s last visit to Mayville, I did borrow a thrilling novel from him, which he said belonged to his girlfriend when he wrote back. He demanded that I send it to him before she plugged-off his ears. The book wasn’t with me at the time, and two years later when I recovered it, Rick and I had lost contact with each other. I had neatly copied his address onto the back page of the book though, and now this address was going to be my only lead to find him i.e. if he still stayed at this address. If he no longer resided there, I was going to be in big trouble when I got to Flintwood - a worry I hated to have on my mind at the time. I hardly had any sleep that last night, trying to figure out all that I was going to encounter. Lablonde, my girlfriend had also borrowed Rick’s novel from me to read, and was in possession of it then. She had strongly disapproved of my decision to leave Mayville, and we were not on very good speaking terms when I categorically refused to reconsider her plea for me to stay back in Mayville. “She’d be gone to work by now”, I said to myself also worrying about the possibility of another confrontation with her. Her reactions toward me after I initially mentioned my intention had become so negative that I sort every opportunity to avoid her. I knew exactly why she wanted me around, but at that point I had two options only: Either to forget about the book and just leave, or rush over to her office and bring her home to give me the book. I compellingly chose the second option, and then hastily jumped into a cab to go get her, but upon arrival at her workplace, her close friend/colleague told me that she had called in sick that morning. Annette, the friend also hinted Gabe’s place, if I didn’t find her at home. My cab was waiting, so we proceeded to Lablonde’s house. She wasn’t home as her friend had guessed, so we made another trip over to Gabe’s. I was hardly gone, and my woman was already catching up seriously with a guy I had often suspected to be my rival. But that didn’t bother me though, and I couldn’t care less about whatever could be developing between them now that I was getting out of her life, probably for good. All I wanted at that time was for her to run with me over to her house and give me Rick’s book. But she didn’t like the fact that I had finally caught her with Gabe – an allegation she had constantly sworn against when I reprimanded her about the guy. She became quite hysterical, and tried to explain a few more lies even when I indicated a lack of interest. I just didn’t want to let love hurt me again. “There’s absolutely no affair between us”, she said as if I cared then. “I just came here because he said he could help me with a problem I had at work, and we didn’t do anything if that’s what you are thinking”. “That’s not necessary for you to say now”, I remarked. “There’s just no reason for me to get jealous now anyway! You have to continue living your life anyway you choose, and if he is the next guy in your life, it is not for me to say. I just wonder why you had to pretend about him all along”. I said this as we walked to the cab.

When we got off the cab, I told the driver to wait for me, but she angrily objected opting to pay my way back. The poor guy who expected to make some more money from the wait smiled and drove off. Then we walked up some stairs to the entrance of the building where she lived, and she furiously insisted that I come in rather than wait outside as I had intended. I could smell trouble coming when she held the door open and pushed me in from behind. She slammed the door behind us, and bolted it as if her intention was to hold me prisoner for life. She grabbed onto my shirt tightly pulling off most of the buttons, and then started demonstrating some sort of aggressive emotions, which at the time seemed meaningless to me, for my mind, was no longer centered on anything about her. I was nonetheless petrified at her desperate attempt to stop me, particularly when she suddenly burst into tears. “What’s the matter with you my dear?” I lambasted. “I thought I had explained everything to you about why I must go! Demonstrating these emotions aint gonna help either of us, and I strongly suggest that you stop holding onto what we don’t have and be happy for yourself, if not for me. This trip is going to be very important to me, and I don’t want anyone to make me feel guilty about a thoughtful decision I have taken time to make.”