CHAPTER 6
Please, don’t be mad, but unexpectedly, my life changed, yet again, to the extent that it was a million to one chance, that this situation could ever happen, to anyone, including me. You may smile and think, here she goes again and yes it could only happen to me, well……..
It was a Monday morning, nothing special planned, a normal every day, week day, yes a wonderful boring Monday, where I was, sitting down with a cuppa quietly and enjoying sheer simplicity.
When the phone rang, I thought, blimee that’s early, it must be Becky, she’s fell out of bed maybe…….not……….
I picked up the phone and this following telephone conversation, would change a part of my life, in more ways than I bargained for, it was a phone call which would restore at least some faith, I thought, in human nature, a voice that would clear all future deception and clarify all reasoning of the past.
I said, “hello”, then a soft and somewhat tentative American voice replied, “hi Shar, my name is Elly, please don’t put the phone down, please listen, I don’t want to upset you, honestly I don’t, but please will you listen, as I hope we can both share something, which will in time, mend our hearts”, with this I slumped back in to my chair, once again, that feeling of sinking in to shock and a day which I thought was so ordinary, in fact, was turning in to an extraordinary day.
I replied, “ok, I won’t put the phone down, I will listen, I don’t know you but I’m sure, I will real soon”, I laughed nervously, in hope, I could get through this and also, portray to Elly, I was a kind and rational person.
Elly began to talk, so much so, her words were soft yet sad, so sad, that I realised the reason for her call, she spoke about Carly. The more she spoke, the more, I absorbed the extent of Carly’s actions and the purpose of Elly’s phone call.
That morning in America, Elly explained, that the mobile she was using, was not hers but Carly’s, they actually had the same mobile phone and in a frenzied rush to get to work, Carly had picked up the wrong phone and had taken Elly’s by mistake. Elly continued to tell me, that she had her suspicions about Carly, especially the amount of time Carly spent overseas, apparently with work, she too, Elly that is, continued to believe Carly and thought nothing of it, until today, when for the first time, Carly took the wrong phone and only by chance, Elly went to use her phone, that the amount of numbers in alphabetical order, all with small markers at the side of them, numbers Elly had never seen before.
Why did Elly choose mine to ring, well I’ll tell you. Although my number was alphabetically way down the list as, S, my marker was the most recent call and Carly had failed to delete her past call history, which in most cases, people ignore the call history, with it being an obscure facility, not regularly used, well not when you think you are in an honest and trusting relationship of course, Elly delved some more and sure enough, my number was used so much, incoming and outgoing, this led Elly, to try and solve some unanswered questions.
Elly explained, that she had rang so early, as she didn’t want Carly to ring me, before she could get the truth from me, Elly honestly hoped and prayed, that the call she made to me, was purely a business associate and that Elly had nothing to worry about at all, Elly’s hope’s were proved to be wrong.
I felt so sad, I wanted to reach out ad hold Elly, knowing that her pain was so apparent in her voice, I could only listen and reply.
You know, we spoke for about three hours and in that time, I felt closer to Elly, than I ever did with Carly.
Elly told me that they had both been together for thirteen years, that they did live in New York but in a trailer, translated for us Brits, a caravan, Carly had no property at all, in fact it was purely a dream and Elly said, on Carly’s salary, it would never happen, Elly went on to say, that Carly did work for an international company as a support administrator, her business trips took her to Texas, Hong Kong, Florida and of course most recent, 2 trips to the UK. The trips were not business, as her position, would not warrant her extravagant global visits, they were purely pleasure, also she paid for the trips on her credit card, which Elly pointed out, she could not afford.
Elly spoke of their relationship at length but with caution, after all she didn’t know me and I felt at least, Elly had more respect and protection of her relationship with Carly, than Carly did.
Our conversation was coming to an end, not that either of us seemed to want the chat to end, but we understood, this was a painful phone call to be made and the opening of a can of worms, which were to change a part of our lives, more so for Elly, who now had the heart wrenching task of ending the relationship.
I told Elly, that I was an honest person and meant no malis in telling her the truth, as I felt Elly needed to know and it seemed, that I wasn’t the only woman, Carly had conquered in her quest, to deceive.
We both said “good bye” and it felt we had shared a truthful conversation, an open but slightly guarded subject, where I had so much respect for Elly, especially being on the receiving end of so many lies from Carly.
We edged carefully, towards dropping hints of future chats, which at the time, probably was not a good idea, considering the delicate issues, we both had encountered but never the less, we did arrange to speak again, we laughed and agreed, that we should buy the international calling cards, as these would be a cheaper option, if we were to keep in touch.
It felt like neither of us wanted to put the phone down, in such a short space of time, we had covered so many issues and developed a common bond, where the two of us, even though deeply hurt and betrayed, we could possibly salvage a real honest friendship.
I came off the phone from Elly and I was unaware, how significant her phone call was and the impact it would have on the next stages in my life. I was somewhat excited, mindful of the deceit of Carly and the connection Elly had with her but I honestly had no doubts in my mind, that Elly was a genuine and honest person, whom like me, had suffered the brunt end of betrayal and lies from the same woman.
That day, I had to have closure on a situation that had consumed months of my life, which included so much insincerity, yet happiness, yes happiness, I felt that although, Carly had drawn me in to her make believe world, at the time, it felt so real and I was crazy enough to allow it to happen, yet perhaps, sub consciously, I knew it was and chose not to deal with it and took my heart too far, too soon. I did begin to question myself for the first time, I know doubts had confronted me before, but knowing what I knew now, was a clear indication, that I had been as much to blame for letting Carly in to my life with open arms, where I should have slowed it down, but what I was not to be blamed for, was her lies and betrayal to me and Elly.
I waited until the time difference in the US was right, knowing Carly would be at work. I picked up the phone and called Carly, fully aware of what I was going to say and finalise an episode in my life, where Carly had no choice but to admit her failings and sort out her relationship with Elly.
Carly answered her phone, as chirpy as could be, she must have had a good nights sleep, totally oblivious, it seemed, that Elly or myself, had blown her secretive world wide open. I said, “hi Carly, how are you”, she replied, “hi Shar, I’m good and you”, I paused and said, “perhaps your day is about to take a turn and your jolly self is about to become your worst nightmare”, Carly paused and replied, “hey Shar, what’s wrong, are you ok”, I replied, “actually, I am ok now and I now understand how foolish I have been, to believe you”, Carly replied, “hey Shar, your not making sense”, I replied, “you know what Carly, I believed in you, we shared fun times, lengthy chats, intimate moments, in fact you took away nearly a year of my life, with not a care in the world, knowing how I felt about you, Carly stopped me and said, “hey Shar, what’s wrong, where has all this come from, of course, we had good times, we had great times”, I replied, “yes that’s the problem but you should have had those times with Elly”, Carly went quiet and I thought she was going to put the phone down but she didn’t, instead she replied, “Shar, you know Elly and I were over along time ago, that’s the truth”, I knew then her lies would never stop, she continued to deny her relationship with Elly and I must admit, for a split second, I thought, oh my God, is Elly telling the truth, perhaps they have split up and Elly can’t let go but to clear my split second doubt, I went with one last shot, “Carly are you still there”, she replied, “yes Shar I am but I am at work and I have to go soon”, I replied, “Carly, do me a favour, do you have your cell phone with you”, she replied, “yeah sure, it’s right here”, at that moment, Carly went quiet, I sensed that Carly had realised the cell phone she had in front of her, actually was Elly’s, I said, “Carly are you looking at Elly’s cell phone and not yours”, Carly exhaled down the phone, her time of scripted lies, had come to an end. Carly began to speak, “Shar how did you find out”, I replied, “how did I find out, well let me say this to you, I believed you whilst we were together, I took on board, that your relationship with Elly, was over, I knew that both of us, or should I say, I know my relationship was over, as I was telling the truth but you couldn’t even, throughout your tall story’s and continuous facade, tell me, that your relationship with Elly, was still ongoing, you led me to believe, that your 13 year relationship had ended 6 months prior, when the real truth was, you were still with Elly, yes Carly, I have been speaking to Elly, she rang me and the reason she made contact with me, is because she has your cell phone, with my name in it and you have Elly’s”, Carly never said a word throughout my explanation and words seemed to have disappeared from her vocabulary, she replied, “Shar, I’m so sorry, I never thought you would have ever found out, in my defense”, in her defense, she had no defense, I had no doubt in my mind, that her business trips were of many and her lies, literally all over the world, followed her where ever she went, she continued to speak, “Elly and I have had problems for a few years now and although we still live together, our relationship has been over for along time”, with this I replied, “Carly, I think it is suffice to say, you have some explaining to do with Elly, I on the other hand have been foolish, you are certainly not the person I thought you were, I knew when you were freaking out, when I said I would come and see you, but you know what, I let that go, even though, I was sad and feeling abandoned, you are in my eyes, a fraud, a woman with huge issues and no respect for others nor yourself, I feel sorry for Elly”, with this, Carly replied, “Shar, I’m sorry but you don’t understand”, I stopped Carly and said, “Carly, I really do understand and even if you have many more lame excuses and reasons, I’m not interested, the one fundamental rule above all others is, don’t cheat, goodbye Carly and please, if you have any conscience, do the right thing with Elly”, with this I put the phone down.
I honestly believed that Carly would ring back but she didn’t. I felt stunned to think that all I had gone through, that another was suffering too, at the hands of Carly, who continued to destroy and grind down two women, who really felt so
deeply for her, for reasons Carly created, in order for self gain.
Carly now, was in a position to claw her way back in to Elly’s heart and I am hoping that Elly, may forgive Carly, for her foolish and calculated lies, she had portrayed, for such a long time. I really couldn’t trust Carly again, I personally, couldn’t forgive Carly, the trust and faith would have diminished, leaving a path for me to move on, but that is me, not Elly, who now, has to anxiously await Carly’s somewhat feeble advances, to pull back and clear up the carnage she has left behind.
It was only the following day, when my phone rang, where I was delighted to hear this soft but somewhat sad and disappointed voice of Elly.
I was so happy to hear her voice, but I was also mindful of the hurt and heartbreak, she must be feeling right now, so I attentively said, “hi Elly, how are you feeling today ?”, Elly replied, “I have to say Shar, I am exhausted, empty and totally washed out”, I replied, “I can only imagine and being so far away from you, I can’t even console you”, Elly replied, “you already are, your voice is a comfort and I thank you for even picking up the phone and taking the time to even be involved in this mess, thank you”, Elly sounded so thankful, so humble, I too felt privileged, that Elly was even speaking to me, considering, I was the other woman, the woman whom had been a part of the shocking revelations, that was a total mystery to her and in fact, I was a woman, she didn’t know nor had seen, yet we seemed to come together and created a warm and civil bond.
Elly began to cry, I said, “Elly I’m so sorry, I feel your pain and heartache, I’m sorry you had to go through this and clearly you need a friend right now, do you have a close friend or friends you can call, is your family close enough to be with you, my sister is my friend, I mean in my family”, I laughed nervously, “my mum is my friend too, I’m careful in what I do say to mum of course”, I quietly laughed again, “but my mum is a great person, who always knows best, mind you don’t all mothers”, I nervously laughed again.
Elly replied, “Shar, thank you”, I replied, “what for, you don’t have to thank me”, Elly replied, “for being on the other end of the phone, you have not disregarded me, you have shown compassion and I have felt you are a person who sincerely cares for others, this for me is enough to thank you”.
I sighed and said, “Elly, if there was no huge pond in between us and although we don’t really know each other, I would be at your side, like any other friend would be, I do understand you still have a lot to sort out and basically, your heart needs to repair and that could be some time, I will be here for you, when you need to talk, laugh, cry, or even be silent, at least I won’t feel so helpless, with a damsel in distress”, Elly then laughed, yipee, she laughed, I made her laugh, even though I knew it was part of the process, you laugh, cry then get even and so on, basically, Elly was to experience like all others, the heartbreaking road of a break up.
Elly became a little more up beat, she started to sound calmer with a hint of happiness. I knew this was temporary but stayed with her mood, which did change throughout our conversation, where the content, was purely about Carly, some I already knew, some I was not surprised about and the rest, predictable.
After a long and captivating exchange of endearing chat, our phone call had to end, 2 hours 20 minutes, passed so quickly and Elly’s phone card, had taken a hammering, to say the least. Elly said again, “thank you Shar, your ability to listen and allowing me to feel human again, restores some hope, that I will get through this and prepare a life, free from deceit and lies, thank you”, there Elly goes again, thank you, I hadn’t done anything, well in fact I had, I was, in effect the other woman, well one of and I was being thanked from the woman, who had just had her heart torn apart, but I had to remember, that I too, had no idea of the scale and lengths, Carly had gone to, in planning this fully blown ego trip, which as in many cases, came back to bite her in the bum, as well as, creating such pain in her wake.
I replied, “Elly, I am happy and humbled you feel this way, this situation is certainly the most civil connection, I have ever come across, I truly had no intention of hurting you or anyone else, I sincerely hope you can get through this and I offer my friendship at a distance, where if I can help you, I will”, Elly replied, “I won’t say thank you again, ok,” Elly laughed, “I will simply say, can I call you again soon”, I replied, “yes ofcousre, I would be happy to speak with you”, with this, we said our goodbye’s and we put the phone down.
I sat on the edge of the chair and exhaled a huge sigh, I did feel helpless but also happy, that out of this crazy and bizarre situation, I was a friend of Carly’s girlfriend, well ex girlfriend, I couldn’t predict the outcome, but if they did get back together, I knew at this point, I had done enough and I would walk away, whatever their decision may be, they could both move on without the past.
I thought long and hard, yet again, to try and defragment this whole mess Carly had produced, it wasn’t the fact I couldn’t believe it, it was deeper than that, although I wasn’t the only casualty, it seemed as though, I was the one picking up the pieces, making sure everyone else involved, was ok and lending emotional support to them and endeavoring to paint a clearer picture for somehow, in hope, they could begin to process all this, where they could perhaps find some way of moving on, from the mess Carly had cunningly manufactured.
The word blame is used so freely and easily, especially when things go wrong, there is always someone or something to blame, yet, it is a simple case of bad judgment or choice, that we tend to forget, played the major factor, which determined a bad or good call. So for me now, there was no blame or pointing fingers, it was a simple choice made, which was right now, certainly a bad one.
The lies and deceit were however, yet another carefully calculated choice that Carly made, when knowingly, she knew all the words and actions were wrong and ran the risk of being found out. A gamble Carly took, at the expense of others in her life, this was unacceptable to say the least.
Carly’s fate was in the hands of Elly and for me, I was thankful, I didn’t have to make that choice.
However, the choice I had to make, was to stop the train wreck of a love life, I seemed to be creating. Perhaps I wear my heart on my sleeve, maybe I believe in people too much, or is it simply my faith in happiness with another, is too high of an expectation.