“She did. I don’t understand. Everything was fine when she got on the plane to head home.”
“Maybe you should go out there and see if she will talk to you. Something happened for it to change like that.”
“Maybe I will.”
I texted her.
Me: I’m confused. I don’t understand what happened. We just had an amazing weekend together. You haven’t even been gone for three hours, and you are already breaking up with me? Did something happen that I am not aware of? Did I do something wrong? Please call me!
All I could do was wait for a response. I drove over to my parents’ house because I didn’t want to be at home.
“What’s the matter, son?” my dad asked.
“Nothing’s wrong, Dad. I just wanted to see what you guys thought of Ella.”
“Well, she was pretty. I don’t know if she seems like your type though,” my dad responded.
“What do you mean my type?”
“Well, I don’t know how to say this without sounding rude, but she doesn’t come from money,” my mom explained.
“Why is that a problem? I don’t come from money either. I worked hard to get where I am.”
“I know, son. I just worry that she is in it for the money. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I didn’t want to listen to my parents anymore. I just wanted to talk to Ella. Meeting my parents was a big deal to me. She was the second girl in my entire life that had ever met them. I didn’t take that lightly. I went to the office so I could talk to Shawn again.
“I am going to fly out there tonight, so I can see her tomorrow morning.”
“Okay, I can handle things here. Go take care of Ella. I understand and so will everyone else.”
I ran home, packed a light bag, and headed for the airport.
I texted Ella.
Me: Fine, don’t respond. I will be flying in tonight so I can see you tomorrow in person. I need an explanation. You mean too much to me to let you go so easily. See you tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty
ELLA
I received a series of texts from Alexander, but I didn’t respond. I didn’t know what to say to him. We were completely different. We lived in separate worlds. I couldn’t live a life that revolved around money.
I was scheduled to work today, but I didn’t feel like going. I’d rather lay in bed all day, but I had bills to pay. I walked to work and saw couples everywhere.
When I got to work, there was plenty of stuff to do to keep my mind off Alexander. I didn’t want to think about him. He was a good man to me and never treated me badly. Sometimes I felt like I denied myself happiness.
I knew we were different from the beginning, but the reality was shoved in my face when his mom tried to bribe me. Alexander was someone worth a lot of money. His parents would spend money to try to make sure that no one took advantage of him. I understood that, but if they just took the time to get to know me, they would know that wasn’t me.
Throughout the day, my phone kept buzzing. It was Alexander. He kept calling, texting, and leaving voicemails, but I couldn’t reply. What could I say to him that would make him understand? I really wanted to talk to Charlotte, but she hadbeen out of town for quite some time on business. She just recently went back to school to finish becoming a lawyer. She was out of town for a job opportunity for an internship with another good lawyer in Oregon. I took my phone out of my pocket and dialed her number.
“Hey, it’s Ella. Just calling to see if you are available to talk but obviously not, so call me back when you have a chance.”
I was hoping she would call me back soon because I really needed someone to talk to that understood me. Maybe she could make me realize or understand what was going on with me.
I finished up my rooms and walked home. I wanted to soothe my muscles like every other day after work. After about an hour of soaking, I whipped up some dinner, ate, then lay down.
Alexander was in my head. I hadn’t known this man for long, but I cared for him. He was sweet, thoughtful, and just wanted to give me the world. Maybe I should just let him. Why was I so goddamn stubborn?