One day, as I was eating a salad, Bart called me, "Nora, do you want to eat Japanese food together tonight? I’ve been trying to reach you, but you haven’t answered.”
His tone carried a hint of accusation. If this had been before, I would have scrambled to explain myself, eager to please and accepted his invitation. Yet now, all I wanted to do was to focus on the audition.
"I need to get rid of some water weight, so eating Japanese food is not an ideal food right now," I said calmly.
“When will you be done? I’ll pick you up when you’re free," Bart asked.
I said coldly, "Don't bother. I plan to do some work out tonight."
"Nora, stop sulking! I know you're still angry but enough is enough. How many years have you been out of school? You’re lucky if you occasionally land a bit part. Why can’t you be more realistic like Karen and get a stable job? Do you still naively believe you’ll become a big star?” he asked.
“I’m not sulking. I just want to focus on my work.” I calmly hung up the phone after that.
At this crucial moment, I didn’t want to waste a single second on Bart. It was not the right time to break up with him yet. I couldn’t let him affect my emotions.