2 - Beautiful Disaster

~Pearl’s Point of View~

~Thirty-Three Days Ago~

“I’m flying to LA to get married then we’re moving into a little place we got,” I bragged, a stupid grin plastered to my face.

“Yeah you might have mentioned that once or twice,” the guy next to me said.

“Oh, sorry. Just excited, kind of been planning it for a long time. That’s me! I’m a planner,” I said, stretching out the little I could since the row was crowded and tight. I was only 5’2 but I still liked my space.

Of course I would get a middle seat between two guys that looked like freakin’ lumberjacks. But it doesn’t matter! In a few hours I’m going to try on my wedding dress for the first time, she better have it right since I gave her EXACT measurements, and I’ll be touring the venue and settling into our apartment.

I mindlessly hummed “California Love” to myself. I was pretty disappointed that Devin, my fiance, couldn't make it on the flight with me. He was wrapping things up with his job before he transferred to LA. 

“My boyfriend just got promoted to head of A&R for this Indie label, Ajax Records. Cool huh,” I said, practically bouncing in my seat.

I hated to quit the safety net of my day job doing medical coding but I was hopeful I could find something similar to do remotely. Not like there weren’t hospitals in LA. Devin said it was a highly sought after skill set and I was smart to have learned it. Of course he’d encouraged me to learn it and spend less time playing my guitar and singing. I still tried to play every chance I got anyhow. But I had to face reality, I was getting old, too old to be out all night in dirty bars. So Devin says.

My boyfriend and I had packed all our things in one of those moving cubes and it was going to get delivered to our apartment two days after our wedding. Our wedding, fuck I can’t wait!

Devin and I had been together nine long years, engaged for two. I literally never thought he’d propose and then getting him to finally set a date had been ridiculous. We couldn’t agree on a venue, or a place. Neither of us had much family, just some friends so it wasn’t like it really mattered. I was so in love, I’d marry him in a sewer during a storm.

My thumb absentmindedly went to rub my engagement ring but my hand was bare. Devin was getting it cleaned for me, and he’d bring it when he came out. He was thoughtful like that, most of the time.

We spent three years saving and getting things organized to move. I mean you can’t just come to LA with the clothes on your back, it’s way too expensive and you’d probably get eaten alive. I was just grateful he had a good job waiting and he was just as much of a planner as me. It was actually pretty sexy when he threw around excel lingo … yeah we’re dorks.

I tried to keep my excitement to myself for the rest of the flight seeing as my neighbors were not very chatty and they were already pissed off about a crying baby in front of us. My grandma passed when I was ten but I remembered her always saying sometimes it says a lot to just shut up.

I almost thought about getting out my acoustic guitar to soothe the little one but getting to it right now would be quite a hassle and the rest of the plane wouldn’t like it. The desk clerk tried to get me to check my two guitars but I just couldn’t do it. If something happened to them I didn’t know what I’d do.

It was hard to have trust for airlines but Devin said I was just paranoid. I was always convinced something bad would happen, but that was beside the point. Finally things were working out, and even though I was nearly 34 my life was just starting.

When we finally landed I struggled with my carry on and two guitar cases but I made due. I got to the baggage claim and rented a cart. I waited. And waited. 

Nothing. 

My biggest fear. 

Since our cube wasn’t getting delivered right away, my three suitcases would have everything I would need in the meantime. I wouldn’t have a car until Devin got here. He sold our car but already had spoken to a dealership here to buy one the day he got out here.

I lugged my things to the airline’s desk and politely explained that my bags never showed up. There were three other people there, who were a lot more colorful with their frustrations. I’d just let them show their tails. Having a fit wasn’t going to make my bags show up, they were probably still in Pennsylvania.

I just knew something like this would happen, and Devin said I was being dramatic. After half an hour of filling out a complaint and even texting them pictures of my luggage (yes I took pictures) I got myself a cherry Coke and tried to order an Uber. 

There, Fredrico would be coming to get me in 14 minutes. Okay, I can wait, no biggie. Just a small set back. I quickly texted Devin and told him I made it safe, but didn’t elaborate on anything else. He was probably in a meeting and didn’t need my stress. 

At least I had clean underwear enough for a week, that was all that mattered. And a toothbrush. I’d figure the rest out. This is LA, one of the shopping capitals of the world and thankfully my man makes a good living so money isn’t a concern. 

I’d get the keys to my new place, get a bit settled, have a shower and go see my wedding dress. That was the only important piece of clothing I really needed. 

Frederico couldn’t have been nicer and even helped with my things. When he dropped me at the office to my new apartment complex, I already felt better. I couldn’t let a common mishap ruin my smile. 

I made my way to the counter and carefully put my guitars down on the floor. There wasn’t anyone around but for $2,500 a month this place better be safe. 

“Hey there, can I help you,” the clerk asked.

“Yes! Pearl Montgomery, here to get my keys. My fiance will be in later in the week, but it is in both our names,” I said, handing him my driver’s license. 

He poked around on his computer and made a face, then went to a filing cabinet. 

“Are you sure it’s here? I have a form completed by Devin Howard, just last Tuesday. He canceled your lease and paid the fee. We refunded him the rest. The note says he found somewhere else he liked better,” he said.

My jaw fell, and I shook my head. I pulled out my phone and looked back at the email Devin sent me when we signed the lease. This was the only place we’d looked at. We paid the first month and the deposit, and agreed to a six month lease while we looked for a house.

“That just can’t be right,” I said, in shock. 

If he did that, he’d have told me. He would have told me. He wouldn’t have sent me out here to the wrong place.

“I’m afraid we already leased it to someone else just yesterday. These places go quickly. We refunded him $4,200 back onto his credit card so I have no place for you here Miss Montgomery,” the clerk said. 

My stomach sank and I began to sweat. This just can’t be right. He would have told me.

“Uhm, you can borrow my office for a few if you need to make a call and sit down. Would you like a water? Maybe some cookies? They’re complimentary, you might need some sugar,” he said, making a face.

I’m a charity case? No, no no no. I put up my hand indicating he should wait. I pulled up my bank account and logged in. This morning, before I left there was over $319k there between checking and savings. We had been saving for all this for a long, long time and we sold the house we’d long shared. The proceeds went into our joint account just yesterday. That accounted for more than half of our money.

My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw the balance. 

The savings, gone. 

The checking had been reduced to $2,738.90 which suddenly flashed in my mind as the exact amount I’d deposited in the account when we opened it together. Then there were pending charges from my Uber and the airport cart.

He took our money. 

My paycheck had just been deposited yesterday. Granted it was nothing compared to what he made but it was still $1,800.  All air suddenly left my lungs and I choked, trying to catch my breath. My legs felt weak and the room began to spin, then my eyes closed and I felt my body give out.

“Miss? Miss can you hear me? Do you need a medic,” I heard, as my eyes flew open. 

I inhaled so fast and hard it made me gag. I coughed heavily for a minute and took the water he offered. It was the clerk hovering over me, but now there were a couple other people around, gawking. I quickly reached for my guitars and thankfully they were right next to me on the floor. I let go of a hard breath.

“I think I will take you up on the offer to use your office for a minute,” I said, as I tried to gather myself.

Over the next hour I discovered that my dress maker didn't exist. Who knows who I had been speaking to. The cake maker didn't exist. Same with the florist. The venue Devin supposedly booked had never heard of me. The car dealership where he was going to buy a car, had never heard of him. I even attempted to call Ajax Records, where he was supposed to work but the secretary said she couldn’t tell me anything. She just took my name and number.

All the money that had been paid to these people he’d likely just kept and moved elsewhere. Just like our house proceeds. Money that I had been contributing to for nearly a decade. We’d had our house listed on the market for about ten months but he kept wanting to hold out for better offers. Then suddenly last month he took one out of nowhere that had been similar to others we’d gotten. 

That meant he’d been planning this for a long time. Trying to wait for the right moment. Planning to ditch me in the most insane way, and leave me broke. 

Broken.

In one of the most expensive cities in the world. In a place where I know absolutely no one.

I couldn’t locate any information about the moving pod either, nobody seemed to know anything. I even tried calling my neighbors back at home, they claimed they knew nothing and the pod had left yesterday morning. 

Devin and I had to stay at a hotel last night, since we’d closed on our house. How the hell could he kiss me good-bye this morning, knowing what was coming? He said, “see you soon.” But he meant, never. 

Oh god, he wouldn’t kiss me. He’d kissed my forehead. Something had twisted inside me in that moment but I ignored it.

Did he even love me? You couldn’t possibly do this to someone you love!

Nearly ten years. Ten fucking years. For what??

Was he sitting somewhere right now laughing? Fanning himself with a stack of cash?

I had to imagine the only reason my phone still worked was because it was in my name and we were going to add it to his plan once we got married. He had been weird about that for years and I just overlooked it. Like I had everything else.

My two shared credit cards that I had with him … canceled. I didn’t have one in my own name since my credit hadn’t been the best. I even emailed my old job and asked if they could allow me to work remotely, but my laptop was in one of my suitcases. It would take a huge chunk of my money to buy a new one that would have the capabilities I needed. 

Where the fuck was I gonna live??

I sobbed and dropped my head on the desk. Slowly, my brain began to show me warning signs. Flashbacks. Things he’d done, things he’d said that I should have noticed. I gave my twenties and some of my thirties to this man, my soul and my heart. The best years of my life. 

I trusted him, blindly. It wasn’t enough for him to just leave me, he completely fucked me over in literally every possible way a person could be fucked over. I’d begged him for kids for years, he said he wasn’t ready. He made me get an IUD. I’d begged him to get married, he said it would happen when we were ready. I’d BEEN ready.

He’d alienated me from all my friends, now the only people I saw or spoke to with any frequency were his friends. 

Except Ann Marie. Oh shit!

I stumbled through my call log and dialed her. My only real friend. The only one who hadn’t given up on me when Devin slowly convinced me to completely conform my life to his. We’d been friends for over fifteen years, she was a singer and we’d met one night at a club during karaoke. 

RING RING

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

I gaped down at the phone. I realized I hadn’t even tried to call or text Devin, not since I texted him I had landed and he’d never responded. I quickly dialed him.

“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service.”

Son … of … a … bitch.