The Breakup

"Alex, what are you saying?”

“What does this even mean?”

“You can't be seriously breaking up with me”.

“What do you mean you are sorry— after all we've been through together?”

“Alex, I gave you everything...” Stephanie's voice broke into a gentle sob.

“...my love, my heart, my time, my body..all of me. Can we at least meet and talk about this— please, just one last time?” Stephanie asked desperately.

She paced round the room, wiping each tear that rolled down her cheeks.

“Hello, hello, are you still....”He hung up, and the sound of the call drop only deepened her pain.

“No! No! No! This can't be happening right now.”

She dialed again, this time it went to voicemail. ( The number you are trying to reach is out of coverage, please try again later.)

“Please Alex, you can't do this to me!”She yelled in pain, falling to her knees. (The number you are trying to reach is out of coverage, please try again later.)

“Alex please! I love you...

...I still need you.”

After everything? A couple of calls wouldn't be enough to hold her off. She couldn't just give up. She had to do something.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh! It's not real! I am in a dream, I am going to wake up from this nightmare and Alex will be right here with me.” Stephanie muttered to no one in particular.

“He loves me, he said he loves me. He can't really be breaking up with me. No it's just a dream.”

Slowly she lowered herself to floor crying, her sobs were soft and silent. "He loves me. He loves me. He loves me..."

The illusion was too pleasing that she didn't hear the repeated knocks on her door.

"Steph, are you in there?" The voice called out.

“Steph! Please open the door.”

“He loves me. He loves me. He loves me..." Steph continued to whisper to herself.

“Steph! I'm coming in through the back door." The tension in the voice grew.

***

“Oh my God! Steph what's the matter?”

“What's wrong with you?”

“Why are you crying?”

“Why are you like this?"

Finally getting some focus, Steph looked up slowly at her best friend, Jenny and as if seeing her saviour, she grabbed her hands tight.

“He loves me right, Jenny? Alex loves me right?"

"Of course he does baby.”

“He's crazily in love with you.”

“Why would you even ask that?" Jenny lowered herself to sit beside her.

“Did something happen? Come let's sit on the sofa, why are you on the floor?"

Jenny looked around, everywhere looked a mess.

“Come baby, get up let's sit on the sofa.” Jenny pulled Steph up from the floor and using a tissue, cleaned her tears.

“Don't lie to me Jenny, Alex loves me right? He really loves me?”

“Yes he does baby, Alex loves you. Now tell me what happened”.

“Why were you on the floor and why weren't you picking my calls?”

“I tried calling you a couple of times but you didn't pick and then your line wasn't reachable anymore. You know you really got me worried.”

“Let me make you a cup of my special tea and you can tell me what has got you in this mood.”

“Hold on okay, and please don't cry anymore”.

Jenny leaves to make Steph a cup of her special tea which is basically strawberry tea with a dash of mint leaf grounded and added to the cup of tea.

Meanwhile Steph now sitting on the sofa is lost in thought murmuring to herself.

“Here you go baby, drink up, it would make you feel better”.

“Better?”

“Umm!”

“Now tell me what's going on”.

“He broke up with me Jenny”(Steph said in a quivering voice and about to start crying again) —he broke up with me.

“He what?”

“He who? I don't understand Steph, who broke up with whom?”

“Alex. He bro...”(She breaks down and starts to cry again)

“Oh my God baby I'm so sorry”(Jenny pulls Steph into a hug and pats her on the back)

“When did this happen? You were good last night.”

“I thought you said he was going to propose?”

“You saw the ring remember? You even tried it on and it was a perfect fit so what happened?”

“How did you go from a proposal to a break up? I don't get it.”

“I don't know Jenny, I don't!”

“It doesn't make any sense to me.”

“I left his place this morning and before I left we made love”.

“I only left his place to cover Luke's shift at the diner.”

“I stopped by the house to get a few things I was going to take back to his place.”

“You know he's been asking me to move in for a while now and I've been hesitant because I love my space.”

“I was going to finally move in with him and I was going to tell him that tonight.”

“I came to the kitchen to get some water when I receive his call this evening and that's when he dropped the bomb on me.”

“He said he was sorry and that he couldn't do it anymore. And then he just broke up with me”.

“I tried calling him back but his number wouldn't connect no matter how much I tried.”

“How can he just break up with me Jenny? How?”

“Shhhh baby don't cry. Let me try calling him okay, please don't cry.”

(As if seeing a glimmer of hope) “Please put it on speaker, I want to hear what he has to say”.

“Can you use your other number, I suspect something but I'm not so sure. Call him with the number he has first.”

“Okayyy. I'm not sure why you asked me to do that but sure.

(The number you are trying to call is out of coverage, please try again later) maybe it's the network, let me try again.”

”Hmm that's strange. I called him this morning when I couldn't reach you and he told me you had gone to work. I wonder why his number isn't reachable anymore.” Jenny said visibly confused.

“Can you try him again but this time with your other number?”

“Okay.”