The Rebound Game

Four

 "Yes.It's not as bad. So, rain check?" I ask hopefully.

 " Let me find out and give you a call shortly," Annie says and ends the call.

I have nothing to do and for the first time in weeks, I feel lonely. My boyfriend since college broke up with me two months ago, in May. Well, technically I broke up with him but he started the fight. Since then, I have been drinking a lot and I have given up my efforts to stop smoking. Shirley says I have been on denial, that I am holding on to this silly fantasy that Oliver would reach out and apologize.
       
"He is either giving me the silent treatment or he is just busy. He has not moved on," Shirley, I told her one afternoon.

 " Don't you think he would have given in already and given you a call? This is Ollie, he doesn't hold grudges," she retorted.

  "Well then, what do you suppose I do?" I asked her not expecting to follow through with whatever plan she had.

 "Dial his number and ask him out for a drink .You can solve whatever issues you have like grownups."

Shirley had to be on crack to suggest that but I promised to think about it just so as to end the discussion about my ex.
        
Frankly, her theory is almost accurate because a part of me has always treated him as a permanent fixture in my life. He was supposed to be the backup plan should things not turn out in my favor in the hostile world after college.
 
Needless to say, I was taken by surprise when he issued me an ultimatum saying that I should make a commitment to work on a healthier life style and maybe join rehab or it would be the end of us. Where did that come from? This was a first. Ollie did not issue ultimatums out of the blue and neither did he have a problem with my partying tendencies.  Isn't love supposed to be about accepting your partner for who they are? I thought he understood that.
      
  "College was another sweet chapter of our lives that is no longer relevant. Making it in this new life means that you slow down on the bottle and get a real job .You can even pursue your postgraduate." Ollie had turned from the mirror where he was adjusting his tie to face me. "Katie, I care for you and I don't want to see you waste your twenties."

I tried to understand where he was coming from, truly.
   
I tried to understand that I had to face the harsh realities of life rather than choosing the easiest option; pretending that responsibilities can be avoided .However, I couldn't move past the implication that he was ashamed of me. Ollie had studied Economics and Statistics and landed a fancy position in Central Bank. I suppose he no longer wished to introduce a hangover thin girlfriend to his banker friends.
   
 I had then asked him if he was asking for a break so that he could date other uncomplicated women. I knew I was being childish, trying to push him to break up with me instead of admitting he was right. He had then tried to explain it to me gently, in his typical Ollie way.
   
" Kate Sankale, I love you more than life itself. I love you even when you are being irritable in the morning because you have to get up for work, I love you when you are being stubborn and even when you are judging my work friends. But you have to understand that as long as I am dating you, I am building a future with you." I recall giving him a look to suggest he was being ridiculous.
     
He ignored me and went on anyway. If I didn't know better, I would say he had been practicing this speech for days. However, he is not one to dwell on things for long like the extrovert he is. It is one of the many things I like about him. Okay, liked about him.

Past tense, Katie.