My new career and Love interest

It wasn’t long before I was once again swept off my feet by a new love interest.  He was a couple of years older than me, and once again, we met in a nightclub.  He wasn’t particularly good looking, but had a great body, and the most amazing charming personality.  His sister worked at Myer, and it wasn’t long before she popped over to his place one day to let me know that there was a job available.  Bryce was really supportive, and within no time I had this job with them.  The only problem was, it was only a few hours a day, hardly enough to make ends meet.  I really enjoyed it though, and each day would get all dressed up to get on the bus and go to work.  I hated the bus with a  passion, as it took me over an hour to reach a destination that would only take 10 minutes in a car.  However, I stuck with it.  Bryce was beautiful.  We went out to dinner, to the movies, and had the most wonderful time together.  He was romantic, and loving, and when we made love fireworks exploded and so did my heart.  Once again, I was putty in a man’s hands.  That’s why when he called me and told me that he was ‘confused’ and he ‘didn’t know what he wanted’ I was devestated.  I just didn’t understand it!  Everything was going so well, why did he feel the need to withdraw from me, from us?  2 weeks past after he dumped me, and I didn’t hear a word.  I would sit there night after night, endlessly listening to sad music, and crying my eyes out about how heartbroken I was.  One night he phoned, and said that he wanted to come over and talk.  I was so stoked that he had given little ole’ me a second chance, I pounced on the opportunity.  He said that he was sorry, that he had been hurt, and was frightened of being hurt again.  That he wanted to give ‘us’ another try.  In hindsight, I should have told the prick to get knotted, but I was only 20, and was in ‘love’. 

What a fool I was.  My Mum called Bryce ‘ON/OFF’ from then on.  He was on, then he was off, we were on… then we were off.  He did this constantly.  Would dump me, tell me he didn’t love me anymore, then beg to come back, and fool I was I would take him back.

It was around this time that J(my ex) from Melbourne called to tell me that he hadn’t stopped thinking about me since I left, and that he wanted me to go and live with him in Melbourne.  He would get me a proper job, and we could live happily ever after.  Who know what might have happened if I took him up on it.  But I didn’t.  I was with Bryce, and was fighting my battles there.  It was too late for Josh and I.

Bryce was a diabetic.  This meant he had to be very careful what he drank, and how much.  Often, he would go out, and I would be stuck crying, giving him a spongebath and injecting his insulin when he drank too much.  One day, we were going to spend the morning together, and he called and said that he was going to play a game of cricket with his mates instead.  I offered to come, but he explained that since I hated sport, I wouldn’t enjoy it, and that he would come and say hello afterwards.  I shrugged, I had no reason to doubt him.  Not long after that, my roommate (I had since moved out of my flat, and was sharing with someone else) said that he had been walking on the beach, and had seen Bryce with his mates sunbaking and having a great time!!??  Say what?  Why in God’s name did he lie to me?  Why wasn’t he just honest?  Why didnt’ he explain that he would rather be with his mates than me??  I stormed down onto the beach to discover that what my flatmate said was true.  There he was.  He was shocked to see me.  He smiled like a cheshire cat.  I felt like a complete fool.  He came over soon after and apologized, said that the cricket had been cancelled so they had gone to the beach instead.  All LIES.  A few weeks later, we planned to go out nightclubbing together, which was one of our favourite past-times.  As the day wore on, Bryce became more and more agitated, before explaining that he had changed his mind, and didn’t want to go out after all.  He said that he was tired, and had decided to stay home and watch the footy with his mates and smoke a bit of dope.  I hated sport, and had no interest in sitting around with his smelly mates.  So, that night when he took off with a grin on his face, I didn’t give it a second thought.  Next day, we were meant to go to the movies together, but when he turned up to pick me up, his eyes were really bloodshot, and he looked terriable.  Bloodshot eyes was a surefire sign that he had been drinking alcohol the night before, as he was always really ill with his diabetes.  My first question was had he been drinking.   No, he said, he hadn’t.  I asked if he stayed up late.  He replied that the game didn’t finish until after midnight…. it was all a  bit sus to me.  Weeks later, I was at his place cooking a meal, when there was a knock at the door.  Bryce was up the road at his sisters house, so I didn’t hesistate to answer the door.  There stood this tall, skinny woman with a pretty face and curly long hair.  She asked if Bryce was home.  I asked who was asking.  She went bright red, and said that she obvioulsy had the wrong house and went to make a dash.  I invited her in.  I made her a coffee, and she explained to me that she had met Bryce out on Saturday night a few weeks back (the night he was SUPPOSEDLY with his mates) and they had made love, and had a wonderful evening, and he had given her his address and phone number to get in touch.  My heart was beating so hard in my chest I thought it would pop out.  Finally, Bryce returned to find us both.  His current girlfriend, and the woman he had slept with behind her back sitting at the table.  He went beet red.  I asked him if it was true, and he said it was.  She fled.  I fled.  I had no car, so I had to ask his sister who lived up the road to drive me home.  Only 3 hours later I was calling him back letting him know that I was willing to forgive him.  I actually called HIM.  I look back on it all now, and can’t believe I gave him one more chance, let alone the millions I did.  It’s amazing I didn’t end up with an STD.  I spoke to his Dad, and he explained that there had been many indiscretions while we were together, and that he often had another girl with him when he went out.   He said I was a fool if I believed that he would ever be faithful to me.  I realized that I was just his sex on tap ‘booty call’. When he couldn’t get sex anywhere else, he would come and get some off me.  The constant breaking up business was simply to ease his consience while he went off and did the wrong thing.  Then after he had finished shagging half the coast, he would come back to me and pretend he had come to his senses to get a bit more off me.  We acutally moved in together sometime later, but he did tell me to get out eventually.  We broke up and got back together another few times until finally Caroline, the ‘other woman’ fell pregnant to him, and he decided to do the right thing and stay with her.  I didn’t want to trap anyone into anything.  I look back now at my lack of self esteem, and self confidence, and can’t believe I didn’t kick him in the cods and tell him to get the hell out of my life the first time.  But I didn’t.  I layed down like a doormat and he treated me like one.  All these years later, I would love to track him down and tell him what I think of him.

A few months after the Bryce saga, the strangest thing happened.  I was on this ‘partyline’ called ‘telecafe’.  Back then, it was an online phone service where you met men on the phone and chatted with them for a potential date.  One night I really hit it off with this particular guy.  He was suave and well spoken, and we had so much to talk about.  I was shocked when he said he actually knew who I was.  We had met in Bendigo several years before.  I couldn’t believe it.  It was Bob’s best friend from Bendigo.

I was completely on the rebound from Bryce, and Dale lived in Sydney, so it’s not like we could ever be together.  However soon enough we had developed a relationship, and a whole new world was about to open up for me.