Chapter 2: Better

I was very diligent in my work, and got several promotions that came with nice bonuses. Every paycheck I got something new. The first thing I got was a shower. Then I got a refrigerator. Then I expanded the house a little. After that I added a counter, and then another, and then a stove! Then I got a bathroom, then a bedroom, and then a dining table and chairs. I was feeling so proud. At times I wished my mom could see me being so independent and successful, but I was too proud to call her.

Life was looking up for me, but I had a long way to go. I had been feeling a bit lonely, and I desired to meet someone. I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but I just wanted to begin to cultivate a relationship with someone that could possibly evolve into something.   I met a LOT of women in that town. But it seemed like there was something wrong with all of them. I knew that all the women couldn’t be bad, so I kept looking. After months and months (a year actually!), I still only had one friend: Stella Stokes. When I met her I thought that she could be something special. She was so smart, and she loved working out like me. She even encouraged me in my own workouts.

I appreciated her friendship. When I was down, she was the first person I wanted to call or hangout with. But after a while of knowing her, I learned that she was gloomy. I never actually saw her completely in the doldrums, but sometimes I got the feeling that she got blue sometimes. She was probably hiding it from me so I wouldn’t get scared away. I wasn’t sure if that was something I wanted to deal with for the rest of my life, so I kept looking.

There was Caitlyn: mean as heck!

…Gina. I’m still getting to know her.

Fallon: a snob AND gloomy…and waaaay too comfortable with early morning visits!

There were others, but there was something I didn’t like about all of them. Then I remembered something my mother said.

“Everybody can’t be wrong. The common denominator of all your failed relationships is YOU!”

Yikes! Moms sure know how to slap you in the face sometimes. I knew that I was picky. I thought that I deserved to be because I was so great, but the truth was I was more messed up than they were. I was shallow! I thought about it. I had a big birthday coming up soon, and I didn’t want to be a lonely “grown” man. Like I said earlier, I never saw Stella in a bad mood. Maybe it was that I made her happy! If I could make her happy, then perhaps she could make me happy too. I decided to invite Stella over for a talk about the future of our relationship.