I had just gotten home when Xena called.
“Ezra, Remy’s stomach is upset. I can’t come back tonight. I need to stay and take care of him.”
9
This was the first time Xena had ever notified me about not coming home.
In the past, whenever I asked who she was with or when she’d be back, she would fly into a rage, feeling that I was trying to control her.
Each time, I had to beg and plead for a long time before she would calm down.
This time, I didn’t ask anything more. I just quietly replied, “Okay”
Xena explained further, “His stomach is bad. If I don’t take extra care of him, he might end up in the hospital. Don’t over think it. I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
Once again, I responded calmly, “Okay.”
Xená seemed to want to say more, but Remy’s voice called out to her from the other end.
Xena quickly added, “Don’t overthink it. As soon as his stomach feels better, I’ll come right back,” before hurriedly hanging up.
I looked at my phone and chuckled softly.
My emotions had been running high tonight, and I had drunk a bit more with Mike. Now my head was spinning and I felt nauseous. I was drunk
too.
I couldn’t help but go to the bathroom and throw up several times before I felt a bit better, but then my stomach started to hurt.
That’s when I remembered that my stomach wasn’t in great shape either. I had drunk too quickly tonight, forgetting to eat something first to
line my stomach.
I struggled to find some stomach medicine, too impatient to wait for hot water, and swallowed it with cold water before lying down on the bed.
That night, I tossed and turned uncomfortably, unable to sleep until dawn when I finally dozed off for a bit.
The next day, Xena didn’t return until the afternoon.
When she came in, I was cleaning the house. It had been a bit messy for a few days.
Xena unusually came over offering to help. “Let me help you.”
I looked at her strangely and shook my head. “No need. I’m almost done.”
Since we got together, I had been doing all the housework. She never lifted a finger.
Xena lowered her hand that was reaching for the broom, glancing at me furtively. She said somewhat awkwardly, “Remy’s stomach is bad. He never takes care of himself, so it hurts from time to time. I was up all night taking care of him. I’m exhausted.”
I nodded in agreement. “That must have been tiring”
Xena looked embarrassed, probably not expecting me to be so calm and not argue.
After a while, she anxiously asked, “Ezra, I’ve been thinking… why don’t I go back home with you?”
10
I looked at her in surprise. In the past, during long holidays, I had suggested she come back home with me, but she always firmly refused.
She would complain that the train journey was too long, or that she got airsick on planes. Sometimes she’d say she wasn’t used to the food, or that the language barrier would make communication difficult. She always had an excuse to decline.
If this had happened before, I would have been overjoyed, immediately helping her pack and booking flight tickets.
<
But now, I just calmly refused, “No need. You have work to do. I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying, so don’t trouble yourself.”
The smile on Xena’s lips froze. She said awkwardly, “Then I’ll wait for you to come back.”
I didn’t respond.
Xena then asked, “It’s my friend’s birthday tonight. Why don’t you come along?”
I looked at her in surprise again. She had never included me in her friends‘ gatherings before.
Her friends all looked down on me, so she always took Remy to these gatherings instead.
I declined, “No, thanks. They won’t be happy if I go.”
A flash of discomfort crossed Xena’s face. “How could that be? You’re my boyfriend. They won’t mind.”
I looked at her silently until she lowered her head guiltily.
I remembered once when her friend openly mocked me for being inferior to Remy in every way. I had turned to her helplessly for support.
She had carelessly said, “You really can’t compare to Remy, but since you’re my boyfriend, you should figure out how to get along with my friends on your own. Don’t always expect me to help.”
But in reality, her friends‘ attitudes depended entirely on how she treated me. If she had respected me, they wouldn’t have dared to treat me that way.
I tied up the garbage bag, ready to take it downstairs. “I’m busy tonight. Why don’t you ask Remy to go with you?”
Xena looked at me in disbelief, seemingly never imagining that I would refuse her and suggest she take Remy instead.
She grabbed me as I was about to leave, anxiously asking, “Where are you going tonight? Let me come with you!”
