Untangled 12: Japan

A couple of days after the ring fiasco, he told me that every Christmas he took his adult son and daughter to Japan. I thought, Oh, that’s amazing! Will you guys go this year? He said yes, but quickly added that this would be the last year. I knew it was a lie.

On Christmas Eve, we exchanged gifts, and he left for his “flight to Japan.” I wasn’t expecting to hear from him for a few days, but to my surprise, he called me the next day. He said the flight was uneventful and that he stepped away from his kids to check on me. I asked for the name of the hotel and for him to send me a picture. He changed the subject and said the reception wasn’t great, so he would call back later.

Two days after Christmas, he claimed they were cutting their trip short because he missed me. I pleaded with him to stay with his kids and to take plenty of pictures. He said he already had his return flight and would be back soon. I never did see any pictures, and Japan was never mentioned again.

At this point, I was building a case against him. I didn’t like him anymore. I knew he was a liar, but I became apathetic about his sickness and fell into a routine. Deep down, I knew he wouldn’t just leave, but I also knew that his manipulation was no match for my empathy and naïveté.

Right after New Year’s Day, my adult daughter called me into her bedroom and showed me a 50-gallon blue tote and some coats hanging in her closet. The hair on my neck stood on end. What was this junk, and why was it in my daughter’s closet? I played it cool until she left for work. Then I sat at the dining room table where he was using the laptop I had given him and asked about the stuff.

He said, “Oh, that stuff was in my mom’s basement. She’s having it remodeled and needed me to take it, so I brought it here.”

I asked, “Why was it in my daughter’s room?”

He replied, “There’s no room in your closet.”

He then added, “I’m really having a bad day. My business partner faked his death, and I’m being sued.”