I asked. Because girlfriends don't kick their partners out to play nurse to another man. You made a choice tonight. You chose his comfort over my respect. You wanted the apartment to yourself?
Congratulations. It's yours. OP, stop, she said, her voice rising in pitch. Panic was finally setting in. She realized I wasn't following the script.
I wasn't apologizing. You're blowing this way out of proportion. Just come home, please. I'm sorry if I made you feel left out, okay? I'm sorry.
Is that what you want to hear? I don't want to hear anything, I said. I'm tired. So come home and sleep. No, I said.
You wanted privacy with him. You got it. I took a breath, savoring the finality of what I was was to say. Don't call me. I need privacy, too."
Wait, don't you dare. Click. I stared at the phone screen for a second. Then, I put it on Do Not Disturb and blocked her number. I expected to feel sick.
I expected to feel that gut-wrenching anxiety of what have I done. Instead, I felt a strange sense of professional satisfaction. Like I had just closed a bad business deal that had been bleeding money for years. I picked up the remote, unpaused the movie, and took another bite of my burger. It was the best burger I had ever tasted.
I slept for 9 hours straight. I spent the weekend in the hotel. I didn't drink. I didn't wallow. I went to the hotel gym, I read a book, and I ignored my phone.
When I finally checked it on Sunday night, the notifications were a disaster zone. 17 missed calls, 42 texts. Elena had cycled through the entire spectrum of toxic grief. Denial, "Stop joking around. It's not funny."
Anger, "You are being such a child. Grow up." Bargaining, "I'll make it up to you." "I'll tell Greg he can't come over for a week." Depression, "I'm crying and I'm scared.
Why are you doing this?" Rage, "Again, fine. Be an. See if I care." I didn't reply to a single one.
Responding gives them fuel. Silence starves the fire. Monday morning arrived. I woke up at 7:00 a.m. I put on a fresh shirt. Then, I called my boss.
"I need to take a personal emergency day," I said. "I have a housing situation I need to resolve immediately." "Do what you need to do," he said. He knew I never missed days. I knew Elena's schedule perfectly.