CHAPTER TWO — DAVID
I put on my suit and look in the mirror. I look tired and defeated, but handsome. In my navy suit and off-white shirt, I look like a man with respect, self-respect, dignity, confidence.
Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.
I'm hoping desperately nobody can see the little boy inside, broken by a girl young enough to be his daughter. It's pathetic that I allowed myself to be played by somebody so young.
It's almost made worse by the fact that I'm angry at her. If she could fool me this easily, I probably deserved it. That's what I would think of any other man in my shoes. So why am I angry? I have no one to blame but myself.
She's been texting me incessantly since yesterday. After the fourth text or so, I blocked her completely.
And then the emails started.
She sent one email this morning with a large word document attached. I read the first line and trashed it immediately. I don't need to hear her excuses. The time for that is over.
And so is the time for my moping.
Which is why I'm going to the charity gala tonight. It's time for me to get out of this house and into the world. And what better place to do that than at the charity gala?
It's going to be a magnificent event. It always is. There's one hosted every year by the local animal rights organization, held at the estate of one of the charity's big donors. This year, it's at a sprawling old place with a glass conservatory, a ballroom, and even its own library.
I've always loved animals. Growing up, I had three dogs. When the last one, a beautiful golden retriever named Chloe, died, it was maybe the saddest day of my life, until now. I remember Chloe, and I feel a sharp pain in my chest.
Why am I so melancholic all of a sudden? I swear, I've turned into an emotional wreck ever since I met Stephanie. Which is why I need to get out of this house and around other people as soon as possible. I need to remember that life exists outside of her.
The gala will be good for me. I know it.
Besides the fact that there will be beautiful women there, it's an interesting event.
And I like interesting.
In many ways, it's like your typical charity gala.
To raise money, there's an auction, and there's the usual fare: expensive wine, jewelry, paintings.
But there are also experiences. People will put up their cottage for a weekend getaway, or they will auction off their skills.
Last year, a private chef auctioned off a lesson for $20,000.
Young people in the community have started to get into it too, especially after the nonprofit decided to give sellers under 30 half the proceeds from their own items. That incentivized a lot of creative entries.
And unconventional ones. There was a bit of a scandal a few years ago when a few strippers auctioned their services. There was an uproar, and the gala promised to clamp down on entries like that.
And they did… sort of.
Since the scandal, those types of services are still auctioned off, but the sellers are discreet about it. Everyone's happy because it was never really about the principle, it was about appearances, as it always is with these people.
As long as the young sellers were being tasteful in the way they advertised their services, the donors didn't have a problem with it. No bad press, no problem.
The unofficial rules have become: you can sell anything, but you can't say that in the listing. You can hint at it, but not say it, so buyers have to read between the lines. It's all a bit titillating, and I'll admit that's one of the reasons I've gone the last few years.
Not that I've ever purchased something like that myself, but it's fun. I know some friends who have.
One of them purchased a massage, and while it was a sexy massage, that was it. I think the woman wore a skimpy dress or tasteful lingerie or something along those lines. Another friend… well, he never told me what happened with the girl (which I respect), but I can read between the lines.
I look down at my watch. It's time to go.