Mathematics

Or... "What Adds Up and What Doesn't".

I hit the callback button. The 860 area code followed by 7 unfamiliar digits beeped through the handset, and the ringing began. A woman answered. At first I wasn't sure if it was her, voice changed by the distance between us, or someone else.

"Is (Ex) there?" I stammered.

"Um, no... she's staying at a hotel. This is (new boy toy)'s sister."

"Hi, this is her ex, (my name)".

"I'm just about to go get her, actually. Let me give you her number.... my brother gave her a cell phone because hers doesn't work down here. It's (number)... give me a call back if it doesn't work."

"Thanks!"

Dial, dial, dial... no answer...

Phone rings a second later....

"Sorry, I couldn't get to my phone in my purse," she says.

Later

"So, I'm going to go down and meet his sister today."

This struck me as odd, because the impression I had from his sister was that they had met. And why say, "they're at a hotel", implying that they weren't staying with her. But I would have assumed they'd be staying at a hotel since my ex had previously told me that they were staying in another city, in another country. Montreal and Connecticut are not that far apart, but still, it was a slight phase shift in the reality plane, one I was quite familiar with after years of experiencing it first hand.

You see, I don't claim that my idea that you can form your own reality is exclusively my own. My ex has been successfully doing it for years, depending on your definition of success. Successful from her viewpoint, less successful from the view of others around her who inevitably see the variance between her reality and their own.

I had paid for the trip under the banner of it being an opportunity for work, a requirement for an interview process. I was told that sadly the boy toy was not going to be there. Day x was the interview, days y through z were test days.

My unease at that point was a product of the past more than a product of any current clues. But do not let that stop you from jumping to conclusions - clues can be missed, and sometimes there are no clues until the reality shift is well underway.

In retrospect, I think the fact that her bank card and cell phone didn't work from day one should have been one of those clues. She had let slip at one point that she was trying to withdraw American currency. I'm quite sure that Canadian bank cards and cell phones work in Quebec quite nicely... sadly I didn't put these two facts together before making a trip down to the bank when she asked me to check and ensure there wasn't a hold on the bank account, saying that the branch there had said there was one (a lie? a misstatement?).

Could have saved myself some time there...

The conversation continued, and I gave away what I knew as little as possible, until she had nearly hung herself with the contradictions between her statements and what I knew. When she said that she hoped to meet his sister at some point in the day, I replied, "oh, she just said that she was just about to come pick you up".

"His other sister. I haven't met his mother, or his other sister".

Reality shifted again.

"So how did the interview go yesterday?" I asked.

"(New boy toy)'s boss liked me. We got along great... I don't know, though, it doesn't look good... I don't think I know as much as I thought I did. I don't think I'll do well in the tests... they are the American ones... it's an American company..."

Groundwork laid for future reality shift. Very important to lay the groundwork as soon as possible.

Am I too cynical?

Those of you who know her will say no, not cynical. Those of you who don't may wonder if I am a paranoid, delusional man.

Oh, I'm paranoid at times, but I can tell the difference between my paranoias, and what past experience tells me.

So.

I believe that I may have just paid for a trip to see the new boy toy and little more.

The question is, do I really care that much at this point, or is it merely another disappointment when things with my ex don't add up?