Make the Sandwich

In the beginning, every thing is fresh, exciting and new. You love the way he/ she looks while sleeping and they cut their meat in the cutest little pieces. You even like the way their lips twist slightly when they chew. Ah yes, this is love.

Nothing is too annoying or too off putting because you’re in love. You are still tingling from the very idea of being with this person on something so serious. Then one day, you come home from work and there are toenail clippings on the floor from the living room all the way to the bedroom. You call to your sweetie and in your calmest voice ask them about your disgusting find. They admit having left crusty toe remnants but inform you that it’s really no big deal. You sigh as you hear them crunch beneath your feet. Still, toenails and all you love them.

You decide that you’ll cook dinner. You inform your sweetie of your intentions and they inform you that they and their friends ate already and that you should just see to it that you get something for yourself to because the refrigerator is now bare. They then peek their head out of the other room and let you know that it’s no big deal because you’ll be able to go to the supermarket tomorrow on your way home from work. You roll your eyes, say nothing and assure yourself that you still love them.

Night turns into day and you jerk yourself from your state of slumber. You look around the room, try to focus on something and finally realize that the sun is shining through the slit in the curtains. You think about what a beautiful day it’s going to be once you get to work. You stretch. In doing so, you glance at the clock. It reads 9:46. You throw the covers off of your body, stumble towards the bathroom and there stands your sweetie wrapped in towel, surrounded by steam. They smile as they tell your they turned off your alarm because you were sleeping so peacefully. They also tell you that because it took you so long to get up they decided to shower first and there probably isn’t any more hot water.

You cup the sides of your face in disbelief but say nothing. Your sweetie sees your face and tells you it’s no big deal because icy cold showers can be exhilarating. They seem to be totally unaware of the fact that you are two hours late for work. When this information is presented to them, they tell you it’s no big deal. The job can wait. Again, you say nothing and start your day two hours later than normal.

After working until eight in the evening, you go to the grocery store because the groaning in your stomach reminds you that your sweetie and their friends ate everything but the shelf liners and baking soda yesterday. After shopping you go to the check out line where your debit card is declined. You ask the cashier to swipe it themselves because you think the self swipe unit must be on the blink. Still declined. You are forced to leave the groceries in the store and make a meal of a .85 cent candy bar you had cash for.

You are confused as you make your way home. You explain your situation to your sweetie via cell phone on the way. By the time you finish your story you’re almost home. Upon entering your home, you sense something is not right. You call for your sweetie and are directed to another room. You do as you’re told and see department store bags, electronics and shoe boxes in the room. You inquire about the bags, mention the groceries, and finally show some anger. Your sweetie looks shocked and tells you they used their copy of the debit card and went shopping. They only spent a thousand or so. They went on to tell you that you should be proud of them because they waited for the sale so that they could get more stuff.

You hear your heartbeat in your ears. You want to shake your sweetie but somehow find the strength to resist. At that very moment, the electricity goes out and the two of you are standing in the dark. With gritted teeth you ask your sweetie if they remembered to mail the items you’d set aside for the post office last week. Your sweetie replies that they in fact had not mailed those items and it was no big deal because if they had, then there wouldn’t have been any money in the bank for the day’s shopping excursion and as they saw things they really saved money.

It is at this moment that you have a flash back to a previous relationship. It was the one where you drove your ex’s car and returned it with a nearly empty gas tank. The same relationship where you told your ex you were going to the bar with your friends and ended up in Vegas courtesy of your ex’s AmEX. Yes, the same relationship where when you’d grown tired of seeing them day in and day out you decided to move out and neglected to tell your ex you were turning off the utilities and taking all of the furniture. You figured they would be okay especially since there were no children involved and the two of you weren’t married. They would land on their feet.

Your mind began to swirl as that entire relationship replayed its self. You couldn’t believe how awful you’d been to your ex. You refused to marry them and for the most part did everything you could to annoy them into leaving you. In the end, you ended up leaving any way. You realize for the first time that you really did a number on your ex. You begin to feel remorseful. Then your mind snaps back to the present. You know Karma when you see it and this was definitely it. You hear your family’s elders saying what goes around comes around and then the face of your ex pops into your mind and cackles “You married this one!”.

How would you handle the above situation? Have you ever experienced instances where you knew you or your significant other were going to pay for your actions in your relationship? What prompts a person behavior when it comes to using another?