Ok so Lukas has clearly veered off the reality based storyline, but I do sometimes put in little things that happened between me and my husband. I don't always leave them in (I cut out a lot of stuff).
I'm working on chapter 17 right now and I remembered this little moment that happened about four months after we moved in together. I might not leave it in the story so I thought I'd post it here. :) It was humiliating and it sucked and I felt like a total loser, but after that he always gave me a few twenties to hold onto. It was an important argument, but I'll probably cut it from this chapter:
I had to pee and Ari needed to make some calls so he pulled off the freeway and found a Coffee place.
“I make phone calls. You go in and do the pee, ok? And get me a coffee. You know how I like this, my love.” Ari let go of me and reached for his phone.
I dashed inside and, luckily, the restroom was open. I finished and got in line for his coffee. It quickly filled up behind me with other commuters desperate for caffeine to make their ride home. I got to the cashier and ordered Ari a coffee and a sparkling water for myself. It was kind of a surreal moment. I hadn’t ordered and paid for anything in forever. It felt so weird to not be just standing behind a Khorasani man who would order and pay for me.
And that’s when the nightmare began. I had forgotten that things had to be paid for. The cashier asked for eight dollars and sixty seven cents. I patted my pockets knowing I had no wallet or cash. I froze and looked at him helplessly.
“Um… This is where you give me cash or a card,” the cashier said. I looked at the line behind me and saw eight pairs of eyes staring at me in annoyance.
“Money… yes!” I said like it was a new concept. “I’ll be back!” I dashed out the door and ran back to the car where Ari was talking on his phone. I tapped on his window and he held up a finger like I should wait. I felt my cheeks flush and realized what a total child I had become. It hadn’t occurred to me that I would need to pay for things when I asked for them. I had regressed to that level where I couldn’t even buy myself a drink without needing him. It was a low moment.
Ari kept his finger up and I gave up. I went to the passenger side of his car and got in. He was talking through the car radio and the conversation was in some other language. He put his seatbelt on and drove away without even wondering what had happened to his coffee...
That would be hard to deal with and embarrassing. I always have my own money, but when we are out, he never lets me pay for anything. He has even taken over paying the bills. I tried to resist, but he shut me down right away and said it is his job. Um...ok?
ReplyDeleteI'm really starting to think your idea of writing a "How to live with an Arab Alpha" is a great idea. I would totally buy one. Ha!
Yes! I felt so awful. I had become totally helpless and didn't even think about the fact that things cost money. I was just so used to him handling those things while I distracted myself looking at other stuff.
DeleteDude, that's totally normal. People forget their wallet all the time. My first job was at In n Out Burger and people would have to sprint back to their cars. As the cashier I never knew whether I should wait for that customer or start other orders if it was busy tho.
ReplyDeleteThe most awkward thing is when people's cards were declined. Then they hand you another card and it's also declined. If it was in the drive through tho, it's more important to keep the cars moving so my manager would usually just comp their order lol
It wasn't just forgetting my wallet, it was forgetting the whole exchange of money for goods and services. hah. It was like it hit me how dependent I had become. That's sad about the cards getting declined :( We had one time where his card had a scratch or something on the stripe and it wasn't working, but he had a backup.
DeleteHaha I gotcha now! Thankfully they didn't make you buy a drink before letting you use the bathroom.
DeleteHey, on a random note. Last night I had this crazy long dream about an outbreak of disease in SF. It was turning people into zombies and that's like the worst time to be in a big city. The power plants shut down and the highways out of the city came to a standstill. Everyone was just trying to find their family and not get murdered. It was terrifying, but when I woke up I was able to calm down when I saw my husband and he pulled me into a bear hug and made me feel safe.
But it made me think of your Lukas series somehow lol. If you're ever feeling like the story is coming to an end, have you ever considered turning it into a zombie apocalypse? I know it's fucking weird but maybe it would work? I dunno... But happy Friday my dude :)
Zombies! I have seen a few episodes of walking dead. That was so graphic! Although, Ari saving Lukas from a zombie apocalypse and fighting their way out of dystopian Los Angeles would be interesting! They would go straight up into the mountains probably. The mountain lions and bears would eat the zombies so it would be safer up there. :)
DeleteThe first few seasons were my favorite, but then the story line got tired and repetitive. My favorite character was that badass black chick with the samurai sword. She could destroy anything.
DeleteI never thought of the cats and bears being good protectors. As long as they couldn't become zombified...
We liked the first season but didn't finish it because I was having dreams about it and it made me super jumpy! Once when he came up behind me quietly and put his hand on my shoulder I turned on him ready to punch. Now he watches it without me. :)
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