I sigh.
“Yes, and sex has a lot to do with it too. The last time I was in Kuala Lumpur, she begged me to sign an application for a ninety-day fiancé visa. More than begged in fact. She had my dick in her hand and was willing to do anything, so long as I signed on the dotted line. What can I say? I’m a red-blooded alpha male, and again honey, this was way before I met you.”
“Don’t you ‘honey’ me, you piece of shit!” Cammie cries into the phone. “So you signed up to be her fiancé because of the sex?”
It sounds bad, but I nod miserably.
“Kind of yes. But it was never real. Mikayla always knew that it was just a sham. The visa is just so she can come to the U.S. for an extended vacation! I didn’t think she’d actually show up at my door.”
Cammie barks out a laugh. “You can’t be serious. Haven’t you ever seen one of those crazy movies? It never goes well when you try to cheat the immigration system. Come to think of it, you’re lucky you’re not in jail right now!”
I sigh heavily.
“It’s not that serious.”
“Maybe not to you,” Cammie says sarcastically. “But you’re manipulating the U.S. government for your own personal gain. Don’t even act like you weren’t going to hook up once she got here.”
I clench my fist because she’s right. If there were no Cammie, I’d probably be banging Mikayla’s brains out right now. But the problem is that the curvy girl exists, and I love her. That changes everything. I grit my teeth and try to explain in an even tone. “I haven’t so much as thought about Mikayla in months. In fact, I forgot all about our arrangement until she showed up tonight.”
Cammie merely hisses her anger.
“Screw you, Troy. I don’t believe that for a second. This woman is tall, skinny, and beautiful, and she seems to know you oh-so-well. You’re feeding me bullshit and lies, and I don’t have to take it. God, how did I ever fall for you?”
Her words cut me to my core.
“Please, Cammie. I don’t want to lose you because of this.”
She laughs, although it comes out a bit hysterical this time.
“You already lost me. Don’t you know that? Do you know how humiliating it was when Mikayla showed up today? Not only did I feel like a fool, but you didn’t stick up for me at all. You didn’t say, “Hey Mikayla, shut up because this is my girlfriend.” Instead, you let her walk all over me! I came home with splinters in my feet, looking like a homeless person! How is that supposed to make me feel?”
I apologize quickly.
“I was confused. I didn’t expect Mikayla to show up like that, and it took me a second to realize what was happening.”
But Cammie’s too angry to absorb my words.
“More like you were coming up with excuses! Let me ask you this: have you been to Malaysia in the last three months? Did you hook up with her while we’ve been dating?”
The unfairness of that statement makes me choke.
“No! I told you, I haven’t thought of her since that night we came up with the plan. I swear.”
Cammie sniffles. “Yeah, right. I don’t know how I’m supposed to trust you after this.”
“Please, Cammie. I promise she means nothing to me.”
Now, she starts wailing.
“That only makes things worse!” she cries. “You have no respect for the institution of marriage. I thought maybe someday you and I… you know what? Never mind. Clearly, I’ve been delusional.”
“No, you’re not…”
But she hangs up before I can continue, cutting me off mid-sentence. The apartment is suddenly eerily silent. Just a few hours ago, Cammie and I were on this couch, our arms about each other like a true couple and now, so much has changed in such a short time.
What do I do? I can’t lose her. I need Cammie in my life because she makes me happy, and without her, I feel utterly lost.
I pick up the phone to redial, but then think better of it. She wouldn’t take my call, not at this moment. In fact, she’ll probably block my number and I refuse to be that desperate person. I refuse to call her repeatedly or show up at her apartment unannounced because she doesn’t want to see me, and I have to respect that.
What am I supposed to do, though? I’ve fucked up so monstrously. Everything about this situation could have been prevented, and yet, here I am, stuck in a puddle of shit.
None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t been such a playboy in the past. What was I thinking anyways? Rampant sex with women all over the world? Trampling on their feelings? Agreeing to commit immigration fraud because I wanted to get laid? Cammie’s right – I have no respect for the institution of marriage and deserve to be punished.