Arwin looked at Kelli, eyes pleading with her. He tried to calm down, tried to get things back under control. He softened his voice. “You know what I was thinking about on the way here? Marriage. I thought you wanted me to get a new job, for us to get a new apartment, a new car, all of it because you were getting more committed to us, that you were planning our future together. I was trying to figure out if I should talk to you first today or just go buy the ring — because I was excited to marry you and I thought you wanted the same thing!”
At last, some measure of real guilt, perhaps even doubt, came across her features. But she said nothing at all in response.
Arwin’s heart dropped at that. “Kelli, I’ve done everything I can to love you the best way I know how. I spoil you with attention. I’m forgiving and understanding, no matter what. I’ve been your best friend, supporting you through everything you’ve gone through in the last year with your family and more. And you’d throw all that away for some empty prick with a nice suit and big salary?”
“Says Mister McJob,” the illicit lover scorned with a mocking sneer.
“McJob? I’m a teacher! I work in public schools.”
He snorted. “You know what they say, those who can, do; those who can’t, teach. Why don’t you go hop back on your bicycle like a good little boy and leave us alone.” His arm slid back around Kelli’s shoulders, a mark of ownership which she didn’t refuse in the slightest. “Kelli deserves better.”
Arwin’s left eye twitched. He looked at Kelli in shock. “You’ve talked about me to him? And what? Denigrated me to him? Seriously? After three years together?” He tilted his head, almost unable to believe it. Who was this woman and what had happened to the girl he’d thought he knew? “You, what, laughed about me together? Made fun of me? Why would you do that to someone who loved you?” When Kelli didn’t answer, he shook his head and tried to forget about it. He stepped closer, begging now. “Don’t do this, Kelli. Please. Let’s go somewhere and talk.”
Kelli had no response.
“Come on, guy,” the suit said. “You get the picture. Just leave.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Arwin snapped so fiercely that the other guy actually looked startled.
Other patrons in the place had gone totally silent now as they watched the scene. Even all of the servers were enthralled. There seemed to be a general sense of horror as they watched the drama play out, kind of like watching cars crash in slow motion.
“Please, Kelli,” Arwin begged her, softening his voice again. “We love each other. I don’t care what happened with him. Let’s go. Let’s talk. We can work this out. Please. I don’t want to lose what we have together.”
Kelli looked mildly guilty, but she didn’t seem terribly emotional: no tears, no words of regret. She didn’t look upset at all about losing him. And yet, they’d been living together, telling each other that they loved the other every day. How long had her words been a lie?
She composed herself, seemingly easily enough, and spoke in a practical tone. “Look, I’ve thought a lot about this, ok? We are not a good match for the future. We’re different. And I want something else in a partner.”
“You want what? A bigger bank account? Is that really what’s most important in a partner?” Arwin glanced at the guy next to Kelli. He glared back, his previous contempt turned into sullenness. “How much does he make?” Arwin asked.
She sighed as if fed up with the conversation already. “Arwin this is pointless.“
“How fucking much?” he shouted.
She told him in a quiet voice, not looking at him.
Arwin was staggered. It was a lot. The guy was rich. Probably worked in finance or something. He shook his head in disgust. “So at a certain dollar figure, money becomes more important to you than love? More than emotional support? Loyalty? Honesty? Commitment? It’s more important than how much I make you laugh? Or how great our sex is? The deep level of trust we shared? You’d sell out everything we have for a more luxurious lifestyle?”
Kelli said nothing, just stared at the table in front of her.
Arwin nodded once. “I see.”
Kelli finally grew angry and defended herself. “Well, you know what? Money’s important. I can’t drive you around all the time in my car because you don’t have one. And what happened to being a gentleman when we go out on dates? Why do I have to pay for things? You’re the man, you’re supposed to pay for things.”
Arwin frowned. “That’s bullshit. Why should I have to pay for everything just because I’m a man? That’s so selfish. You make as much money as any guy at your position, and more than I ever would even as a full-time teacher.” Arwin countered. “Yet I always manage to pay my fair share. I pay half the dates, half of all shared expenses, no matter what. I thought you wanted equality in our relationship. If I’m always paying and you’re not, that’s a little selfish, don’t you think?”
“Oh, enough!” Kelli snapped. “I’m so sick and tired of your philosophical, moral rantings. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m sick of living like I’m still in university!”
“We don’t!” Arwin exclaimed. “We live like regular people.”
“I don’t want to live like regular people!” she shouted. “I want a better life than that. A future where I don’t have to think about money. I want to go on nice vacations whenever I want and stay in nice hotels. I want a man who knows how to dress and can afford to buy me diamonds on my birthday instead of giving me some stupid lecture about how the diamond trade is a sham. I want to be with someone I can respect. Who I can introduce to my friends and not have to apologize for.”
Arwin grew angrier and raised his voice. “I’m a teacher! What the hell do you have to apologize for? I spend my days raising children to become society’s future. If it wasn’t for people like me, then people like you wouldn’t have such flashy, high-paying jobs because you wouldn’t even know how to read and write. If anyone should apologize for what they do, it should be guys like this,” Arwin gestured at her new lover, “assholes whose mission in life is to create more and more wealth inequality and make things harder for everyone else.”
Kelli looked furious. She spoke in a tight voice. “Look, you’re a nice guy. We had some good times. But now it’s time to grow up and move on. You’ll find someone else.”
The male server returned, this time with a manager in tow.
The manager stepped forward, into Arwin’s line of sight. “Excuse me, sir?”
Arwin ignored the man, his voice rising alongside his anger. “This asshole makes enough money to support at least six whole middle-class families, comfortably. You don’t need that much money. No one does. And having that much just means that other people have to go with less. You don’t like how much money I make? Well it’s because people like him take more than their fair share. They’ve rigged the economy to be that way. But you don’t care. You just want it. You just want to spoil yourself and to hell with the consequences. Like, to hell with who you hurt? I’m fine as a boyfriend, but only until some rich guy hits on you? Then to hell with the guy who’s loved you for years. You’re just going to jump all over the money guy like a gold digger.”
Kelli’s voice turned bitter. “We’re over, ok? Just leave already.” She pointed to the door. “Go home,” she snapped.
But Arwin was pissed off. And as much as he loved her, he wasn’t entirely thinking straight. Shock and heartache had twisted him, so he lashed out. “Tell me, what’s the difference between a girl selling herself on the street and a girl dating a guy for his money? Aren’t they both just prostitutes? Is that who you really want to be? Is that what your love is worth? Your love isn’t real? You’re just a long-term sex worker faking whatever you have to for the cash?” The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. Giving into his pain and anger in the moment in order to hurt someone else was selfish. He hesitated, then opened his mouth to apologize.
Kelli stood up and shouted before he had the chance. “Fuck you!” she spat at him, furious. “We’re done. Forever!”
They glared at each other, Arwin in pain, her in anger. That morning, they’d had hot, wonderful sex, kissed and hugged, been boyfriend and girlfriend. Yet now, only hours later, there wasn’t a trace of love to be found in her eyes, her body language, or her words. It was as if she’d flipped a switch inside. One moment he’d mattered to her and she’d loved him. Now he was worthless trash.
Arwin’s heart was being shredded, the pain horrendous now. A deep ache filled his chest and his eyes burned, on the verge of tears. He couldn’t believe that she seemed to feel absolutely nothing for him so suddenly. How could anyone be that way? How could you turn off your feelings like that? Or had her feelings never been real? Had everything she’d done been a lie, right from the start?
The manager looked really upset now. “I think it’s best if all of you leave, right now. Before I have to call the police.”
Arwin didn’t look at him. “I’m going. Sorry for causing such a disturbance.” He turned to the door, then looked back at his now ex-girlfriend. “Three years together. I always treated you well. And this is how you repay that? By faking this accidental meeting and trying to absolutely destroy whatever was between us forever? You couldn’t just talk to me? Move out? Be honest? I loved you. I was good to you. I didn’t deserve this.”
She rolled her eyes and snarled at him. “Oh, stop with the emotional blackmail.”
Arwin hung his head. It was like talking to a completely different person than the one he thought he’d known. Until this moment, he had never imagined this side of her existing. He took a deep breath. “Fine, Kelli. You win. Enjoy your new, more material life.”
Kelli, with barely contained fury, opened her mouth to reply but couldn’t, then looked away, a somewhat uncertain expression on her face.
Arwin looked at her once last time, torn between heartache and love, fighting tears now. “I hope one day you realize that you can be a better person than this.” He walked out of the cafe, not looking back.
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