Stalker Love Story, Part Three: Down, but not broken

            It had been almost a week since I last saw Arthur. It would be weird going back to him, like the anxious feeling when you miss a week of school. There was so much of the real man’s life that I had potentially missed. Don’t get me wrong the time spent with cardboard Arthur was great and I had my fun. But despite the pretty face he could never replace the real Arthur. He just fell apart, he became a mess and he was no longer the cut-out that I fell in love with. The novelty had worn off. I didn’t swear off the idea of getting cardboard cut-out, there was so much potential. But it was going to be a while before I tried it again.

            It took a few minutes of reading over the Arthur schedule before I came flooding back. I check the phone. It was Saturday, almost one o clock. It was too late to check the phone tap for his call to his mother. He was due home from the gym at any moment. I checked the bathroom view to make sure I still had the right angle for the show. But there was something off. I could see perfectly into the bathroom but it looked like it had already been used. I swivelled to the left. He was in his bedroom and fully clothed, in nice clothes. Not the usual weekend attire. Something was up.

            I went back and flicked furiously through my Arthur prospectus for any possible notes on what it could be. He was up to something and it was something big. It wasn’t family related because his sister would have been there in a flash whether it was good news or bad. I went back to the telescope to see if I could decipher what he was doing. But he was gone. He had left his apartment. The only option I had was to follow him.

            I manage to catch sight of him just as he turned the corner of the block. I swiftly paced up behind him until I was in perfect pursuit range. I bobbed and weaved through the crowded Saturday afternoon streets. It was kind of exciting. I had been on a tailing in months. They were so much more frequent at the start when I got to learn where he went and what he did. This time he was taking the subway. The underground at this time on a Saturday was always packed. Shivers of nerves slipped their way into my spine as I feared I may lose him in the crowds. Luckily I didn’t and I got to follow him onto the platform. When the train arrived it was already packed. I was just close enough to be able to get in, one section down from Arthur. I thanked God for my luck. At least one of my father’s wasn’t so dubious about my lifestyle.

            Like most of the people on the train Arthur got off at the central plaza stop, downtown. Unfortunately I lost him in the crowds. But if I knew my Arthur, he would be going for a coffee at the French style café, beside the fountain. We both like to throw in coins for wishes. But I could only hope that he made the same wishes I did.

            Sure enough I was right and after the short walk from the station tunnel into the plaza, the crowd began to disperse and right on course was Arthur. But it was just as I had my eyes on him that the strangest thing happened. He walk straight past the café and went for the seating area. I tried not to panic. I knew something was wrong but I didn’t want to imagine what it was. A moment later I discovered that I didn’t need to imagine as Arthur sat beside a strange woman. And then in a matter of seconds all of my worst nightmare came to fruition. He kissed her on the cheek.

            I was devastated. I felt weak and began stumbling backward until I slammed into a lamppost. All the butterflies that had infested my stomach turned to honey badgers, ripping my innards to shreds. I knew that my heart dropping just made it easier for them to tear it apart. Tears were starting to stream down my face. My natural instinct of not wanting to draw attention to myself kicked in, so I made my way behind some shrubbery.

            It was the end. He had finally fallen in to the seductive claws of a horrid succubus. All my years of work, silently keeping women away from him without him knowing was now void. I knew that once a woman had his interest he would never let go. Everything I had to offer was for nothing. I was nothing. He would never accept my love or appreciation now.

            I was so disgusted, for the first time ever I realised that I just didn’t want to look at him. What was wrong with me? How could I ever reach that point? It then dawned upon me that this was my fault. I let myself fall into a week of lust and debauchery, and because of it my grand scheme became sloppy. He probably met her sometime during the mid-week. Meanwhile I was at home rubbing myself against a false idol like a treacherous heathen.

            I swallowed my pride for a moment so I could have one last moment to see him before I ended my operation. I longingly stared at him, smiling, chatting sipping coffee. I bet she didn’t even get it the way he likes it, three sugars and a splash of milk. I sighed as I absorbed this final moment. I turned slightly to stare daggers at the bitch beside him. Brown hair, blue eyes, way too much make-up for his tastes and she had half a dozen piercings in her ear. What he saw in her was unfathomable. But just as I finished staring I noticed something beyond her.

            There was a woman sitting at a table about five metres away from them. She had a newspaper up but her chair was pulled a little too far away for just convenience and comfort. It was angled so she would have a direct view of the woman next to Arthur. There was something curious about her. I moved swiftly but inconspicuously from the bushes to the far side of the fountain. It was from there I got a better look at her.

            She was a little over-weight and her hair and skin was incredibly greasy. She had a look of desolate emptiness on her face as if she just saw loved one die before her very eyes. Something about the look was familiar. I then realised that’s probably what I had looked like only minutes ago. Everything about her began to fall into place. She was just like me. She had a hidden for this woman whoever she was. She was an amateur at the art of observation, at best, but there was no doubt. She was quite the curiosity. I took a few snapshots of her before leaving.

            It was long over an hour by the time I got back to my apartment. Next came the gruelling task of giving up every picture, tchotchke and piece of Arthur memorabilia I had. I spent the better part of the evening throwing away the files and pictures, disassembling the shrine and formatting my computer of any trace of him. Night had fallen by the time I was on to the final task, the camera.

            Flicking through, I took one last look of the memories of the last three years of my life. I never imagined I was going to go through this with Arthur, but here I was. After almost an hour of deleting I finally reached that days pictures. I was reminded of the mystery girl who had obviously been following the woman Arthur was with. As I looked at her I began thinking. Arthur never really understood me, and he never could. As much as I had loved him he was never going to be able to return the favour. But her, she could understand me. She knew the pains and struggles of living this lifestyle. I had a moment of realisation. My life was going to change forever. Looking at the girl, I knew I was falling in love all over again.