The argument

Todd put his hand on Marie’s leg and kissed her.

“Love you baby, see you after work?”

“Ugh, don’t talk to me about stupid work”

Todd snuck another kiss as Marie reached between them to get one of her bags out of the back seat of his truck.

“You should just quit”, he said

“Really and how would I pay rent?”

“Why do you always ask that?  I’ve told you a million times, I make enough, move in with me.”

“And do what all day”

“Make jewelry, paint, garden, cook me dinner...

Todd flashed Marie an impish grin.

“Quit or find another job.”

“What other job? Even though it sucks, Macys has been really good for me”

“Is that why you complain about it so much, start feeling ill on Sunday night’s... do you wanna know what the definition of insanity is?

“No, but your gonna tell me anyway”

Todd rolled his eyes and patted Marie’s shoulder.

“Don’t do that”

“Do what”, Todd asked

“You always pat me before giving me one of your lectures”

“When have I ever lectured you?”

“Umm, every day… you have been super critical of me…”

“Anyways”, he interrupted.  “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again but expecting different results”

“You never used to interrupt me before.”

“Going to a job you hate day after day but never doing anything to make it better is flippin insane”

Without thinking about it, Todd reached his hand out to pat Marie’s thigh, then snatched it back like she was a hot stove. 

“I told you when we first started dating, hypocritical people are my biggest peeve”

“Well, I complained about work six months ago, you didn’t seem to care then”

Todd stiffened in his seat and leaned away from Marie, resting his head against his window.

“Maybe that’s because six months ago you weren’t also complaining about your family, money AND work.  It feels like when I do get to see you anymore, all you do is complain about your life… if you don’t like something change it”

Tears started to glisten in Marie’s eyes. 

“I don’t complain about my family…. My mother is dying…”

“That’s not what I was talking about”, Todd cut in.

“Quit interrupting me! Why can’t you just be a supportive boyfriend and…”

“If I didn’t interrupt; I would never get a word in…”

“Ughh, you’re an ass”, Marie blurted.

Todd reached into the back seat and grabbed the rest of Marie’s bags.

“I’m an ass?  I just spent how much on you?” Todd shook the bags to illustrate his point. “I spend my day driving your lazy butt around and I’m an ass! “

Marie leaned over and stuck her finger out in Todd’s face.  “Your right, you’re not an ass, you’re a dumb ass!”

Todd opened his driver’s door and tossed Marie’s bags out.

“What’s wrong with you, she gasped and vaulted from the truck.

Todd sighed and got out.  Women, he thought.  His heart sank a little when he saw that some of her clothes had fallen out of the bag and onto the wet asphalt.  Silently, he up righted one of the bags and started picking up clothes.  Marie shot him an icy glare through her tear rimmed eyes.

“I don’t need your help.”

Todd took one look at Marie’s now mascara streaked face and continued collecting her bags.

“Why are you so afraid to ask for help”, Todd said, tenderly.

Marie turned away from him and stomped across the parking lot, towards her apartment.  Todd followed.

“Don’t you get that I am just trying to help you?”

“You don’t want to help me, she wailed.  You want to change me”

“Wrong again”, he screamed dropping her bags on the ground.  “I swear sometimes you act like such a little girl… you know what?  This isn’t going to work for me anymore.”

Marie shoved him aside and snatched up her bags.

“So you’re breaking up with me? With everything I’m…”

“I never said I was breaking up with you”, he interrupted.

Marie wiped her tears with the sleeve of her shirt, leaving a slash of black mascara on its white surface.

“Yes, you did”

“Fine, maybe we should break up”, he said “You never have time for me as it is…”

Marie kicked the wall of her apartment building and threw her bag filled hands in the air.

“I hate you!”

“Love you too, he screamed. 

Marie roared and threw two of her bags at Todd’s head, missing by a wide margin.  Todd’s brow furrowed and storm clouds raged in his eyes.

“That’s it!  Were done!”

“Fine!” Marie screamed “Go live your perfect little life and leave me alone.”

Todd was about to retort but bit his tongue when Marie’s little autistic neighbor, Peter strolled blissfully past them.  When the boy was safely out of eye sight, Todd turned back Marie.  It wrenched his heart to see that tear soaked face, her little body wracked with sobs.  I don’t want to lose her, he thought.

“I love you but unless you take control of your life, this is never going to work.”

Marie grabbed the sides of her head and sank to the ground sobbing harder than before.

“I’m only 23; I haven’t had as much time as you to live my life…, why can’t you understand that?”

Todd crouched by her side and ran his fingers through her hair.

“I am just trying to help you, so you can be happier… why can’t you understand that?”

Marie pulled away from him and got to her feet.

“Stop being my father all the time.”

Todd grabbed a clump of his hair and roared…  “I am not trying to be your father…”

Marie wiped a fresh batch of tears on her other sleeve and stared vacantly over Todd’s shoulder.

“I am just trying to give you the advice that will help make you happy…”

“Baby”, Marie said, staring unblinking into the distance.

“I am just so sick of seeing the woman I love, depressed about stuff she could change…”

“Um, baby”, she repeated.

“I wish there was a pill I could give you that would make everything better, but advice is all I’ve got…

“Todd!” she screamed “Your truck.”

Todd turned and watched as a twelve year old autistic boy drove his truck over the curb before merging with traffic and disappearing down Gilson Street.

“No, no, no, no”, Todd pleaded to no one in particular.

He sprinted across the parking lot and watched as his truck disappeared over the horizon.  One of the little girls from Marie’s apartment stopped her Barbie bike next to Todd and looked at him appraisingly while working a sucker.

“Did Peter take your truck?”

Todd picked the little girl off her bike and set her aside.  “I need to borrow this”, he said

“No way, she replied.

Women! He thought.

Without her permission, Todd straddled the tiny bike and rode awkwardly after Peter and his truck.  Something hard struck the back of his head, nearly knocking him off the bike.  Instinctively his hand shot up to investigate the wound.  Instead of blood, his hand found a sucker firmly stuck in his hair.

“Ass!” he heard the little girl call out, after he had given her the finger.