The frugal woman does not shave her legs to save on razors. The frugal woman does not purchase makeup. The frugal woman buys tea instead of coffee because it lasts longer. The frugal woman wears the same outfit several days in a row to save on laundry detergent. The frugal woman only buys frozen or canned food to save on waste. The frugal woman walks for exercise to save on the cost of a gym membership. The frugal woman writes instead of parties. The frugal woman never asks for seconds. The frugal woman does not drink to save on calories.
The boyfriend admonishes the frugal woman. Don’t you know that money grows on trees? he asks.
Not for me, she says.
Why don’t you wear nicer clothes? Why don’t you put on makeup? he says.
They’re too expensive, she says.
But you’d have so many guys drooling at your feet, he says.
Then I would have to buy new shoes, and I don’t have the money, she says.
The boyfriend pencils her in between 6:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. She waits in the storage closet at his workplace, but he never shows up. She leaves at 6:55 p.m. to walk home.
She spends her evening cooking and freezing food, waiting for him to call her. He never does.
A week later, the boyfriend takes her to a party, where she sits in the corner, figuring out the best way to sneak some dinner rolls into her purse. The blonde girl comes over and talks about her wedding plans and asks, Why is the boyfriend ignoring you?
He’s busy schmoozing, she says. He’s always schmoozing. He schmoozes in his sleep.
You should really get on that, the blonde girl says and walks away.
The boyfriend gets a call that night and forgets to take her home. She walks to the bus stop and watches the snow fall while she waits.
The boyfriend takes her out to dinner and orders wine. You have to drink this, it’s a hundred dollars a bottle!
No thank you, she says.
You’re really difficult sometimes, he says.
She wonders why she is difficult; she has two eyes, two arms, and two legs. If she had two heads, maybe she would be difficult to talk to. Each head would be looking in a different direction.
The boyfriend is silent for the rest of the meal and then takes her home. He does not come inside.
When the boyfriend moves away, she does not spend any time on tears.
Sarah Daly is an American writer whose fiction, poetry, and drama have appeared in thirteen literary journals including Umbrella Factory Magazine, The Olivetree Review, The Spotlong Review, and Blue Lake Review.