It's so funny to look back at the ending of my relationship. He seemed so offended I was looking at apartments, but I told him weeks before I was looking. Honestly, I began looking for a one bedroom because I didn't like living with his friend. He was probably the king of broken promises. When he first moved in, he said he was going to clean all the time because he couldn't stand a dirty apartment but the only time he cleaned was when Stephen encouraged him to. Which, I find ironic. I think Stephen felt like I never cleaned but he never encouraged me either. I'll never forget when I came home from my dad's house to a sink full of half washed dishes and two giant bags of trash sitting on the kitchen table. Such a warm welcome. Our roommate also agreed to do my mom's wedding photography, then flaked day of. He stated he would pay the WiFi bill.. bet you could've guessed who got stuck with that for 3 months. He also said he would help sand down and paint the end tables Stephen promised to do...never happened. I threw the tables away in the end because one was covered in dog bites while the other was covered in bugs.
Anyways, I wanted to try being on our own. Just me and my boyfriend. I knew we could make it work. We seemed like we could take on the world. I got a new job offer that he encouraged me to take; more money and less driving. No longer direct services. We could've ruled the world together.
I'm pretty sure we've come to the weekend where I saw it coming.
Stephen and I sat down to eat our lunches around the same time. I don't recall why, but I remember asking if he was going to break up with me, again. His response shattered me. "I don't know yet, we'll see." Part of me thought it was a joke. But he said it in such a serious tone that I felt my heart sinking into my stomach. That's when I knew everything had become a game.
He had begun to leave dog poop/pee around the house and would just be sitting on the couch on his phone. I would pick it up. He began to park in the parking spot, even though he had given it to me a while ago, since my car was keyed. I didn't say anything. So many little things that just proved to me it is all a game. He didn't care about me. He began leaving the cage in the bedroom, and per doctors' orders I wasn't supposed to be lifting anything like that still. He didn't care. He began to forget about feeding the dog, so I would do it.
I laugh at how blind I was though. I told him I couldn't move the cage because of my wrist, he made a huge stink of it so I did it anyways. He said he would pick up the dog food after work, but then made a comment about how he forgot his back brace and didn't want to throw out his back. I offered to bring him the brace, he refused.
It's so funny how distant we became. He stopped putting in effort but he would complain later that "it got so cold". It got cold because YOU were cold, sir. I was usually the first one to text.
The next few days were just occasional conversations about the dog, including how me having to move the cage probably wasn't helping my wrist issue.
Saturday September 2nd, 4 days before my world will come tumbling down. I walk out of my room to find newpaper scattered all across the front room. I messaged Stephen to see if it was like this when he left for work. He said that our roommate had cleaned up a trash bag that the dog had destroyed and allegedly "like 5 shits" and how he was late for work because he helped clean it. I am not sure how the dog got into a bag of trash. Stephen said that the roommate was up with him. I was starting to think the roommate was careless. If you had just cleaned a mess, why would you let the dog run rampant again? I told Stephen about the ads strewn about and that the broom was dragged under the couch. His response? "dude idfk im at work". I told him I was just trying to figure out how this happened and that he didn't need to snap at me. He replied with "No need to blow up my phone over this when u know im at work". I don't think I blew up his phone. In fact, I'll share our exact messages with you. Just for clarity, our roommate went by "Penzo".
11:14am Me: Did you lock the dog up?
12:12pm Him: I didnt, penzo was up with him
12:26pm Me: Oh Was the house a mess when you left for work?
12:41pm Him: yes but no... penzo had cleaned up a trash bag that axel destroyed and like 5 shits
12:42pm ME: Geez
12:42pm Him: if it was a mess then he got into more shit
12:42pm ME: Yeah there was newpaper/ads everywhere and the broom is under the couch?
12:42pm him: yea, i was late to work cuz i helped him clean
12:42pm him: dude idfk im at work
12:42pm ME: I'm about to head home to get ready for Disney and I'll try to clean more up.
12:43pm him: ok
12:43pm ME: I know, I was just trying to figure out how it happened. No need to snap at me
12:46pm him: no need to blow up my phone over this when u know im at work
Did I blow up his phone? Or was he being dramatic? I'll let you be the judge.
YOU ARE READING
The Story of Us
Non-FictionBasically a biography, the story of how Stephen and I met and fell apart.
