Ex-girl to the Next Girl Read Online Free Page B

to break up, Nadine,” he said as his eyes began to water. Don’t do this, please , I thought. I hate to see men cry. He was making this really hard. I had to be firm with him.
    â€œWe need time off,” I said as I looked him straight in the eyes and grabbed his hands.
    â€œSo you want to see other people?” he asked as he snatched his hands away from me, put on his underwear, and searched around the room for his faded blue jeans.
    â€œNo, I don’t want to see other people,” I lied.
    â€œSo why break up if we aren’t going to see other people?”
    â€œI just think we need space, Erick. Just a little time off.”
    â€œI’m not with this. I don’t want to be with any other woman. You’re all the woman I need, Nadine. But if this is what you want.”
    â€œI do. Let’s give each other a little time and space.”
    Erick, trying to be hard, said, “Okay, if you want it this way.” He put on his shoes and gave me a kiss. He took a look around the room to be sure that he was not forgetting anything. He pulled his brush out of his back pocket and brushed his hair in place. He walked to the bathroom and washed his face and brushed his teeth. Then he proceeded down the steps. I stood at the top of the steps with my robe on and my arms folded. He walked out, and I began a dance of freedom. I am free.
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    Growing up, I lived all over the world. My parents are in the military. We were in Virginia Beach most of my life, but we also lived in Hawaii, Germany, Colorado, California, and Japan. My dad and mom separated right before I got to eighth grade. My mom remarried instantly to this man named Mr. Richard. Me and him didn’t click. My mom, being so in love, didn’t see that this man was mistreating me. He tried to make me do everything around the house and have a curfew and get off the phone by 9:00 P.M. and go to the library every Saturday. He was a real military dude. I moved in with my dad and his new instant wife, Cynthia. At first, me and Cynthia were cool, until she started thinking she was my mom. I moved back in with my mom.
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    Whatever Mommy wouldn’t buy, Daddy would. People worry about children of divorce, but I think we turn out just fine, actually. We might come out a little better, if you ask me. You have two parents that overcompensate and try to buy your love. Tragically, my situation came to an end when my father and mother remarried each other my last year of high school. As soon as I got adjusted to them being apart, they got back together. Most people would be happy about that—I wasn’t. They were better apart; that’s when I could get away with everything. I was tired of both of them, and I begged my mom to let me stay with Aunt Connie and she did. Aunt Connie and her husband, Chuck, let me move in with them my senior year of high school for stability. My Aunt Connie is my mom’s sister. My mother, Faye, is the oldest, and she has one brother named Scott. We call him Uncle Scotty. He is a drunk.
    My mom is tough; she doesn’t care about makeup and shopping. Years of the military have destroyed her femininity. She doesn’t wear her hair short or look like a butch, but she doesn’t play dress-up very often. I tried to give her a makeover, but that was short-lived. She loves sports and I got F’s in gym because I’m a girly girl. By ninth grade I was already cutting gym class to go to the nail salon. Gym didn’t make sense to me. Get undressed, get sweaty, then put your same funky clothes back on without a shower and walk around school all day. I wasn’t having it. I hate working out. I’d rather just watch what I eat and that’s what I do to maintain my size 9/10. I like it. Not too big, not too skinny.
    I thought if I didn’t answer the phone after the fourth ring, the caller would get the hint. Not my persistent Aunt Connie. I answered the phone and she