Diamond Theory: Breaking the Myth of “Transactional Relationships”
The corners of his mouth upturned slyly, playfully, whenever he spoke to me about diamonds.
We first met in the rainy start of May: he sat down next to me at a local art gallery showing. I had arrived at the venue early, by C.P. standards; by the time he had settled next to me, I had already indulged my senses on hors d’oeuvres and prosecco. I was existing in full Art Heaux mode, and there was no one to shame me for it: I was having the time of my life, and I was in need of no one. I was a bold flower blooming in a public space.…Which, of course, encouraged him to try his hand at my apparent naiveté.
This was in the same summer that I launched my publishing company, mere moments before I came together with colleagues and collaborators to create my first small team.
He was a realtor, an international entrepreneur with a company that owned buildings and properties across the world. Just my kind of man.
Before I left the gallery, he was eager to exchange contact information. “I would love to work together,” he added before I saved his number into my phone. This was the beginning of a golden age in which all of my contacts were either professional connections, ongoing clients, or old friends.
Cha-ching. My Lyft notification ushers me back out into the rain. As he watches me leave, my honey-blonde hair glistens in the afternoon rain.
By the first time I accidentally IM’ed an older man, I had barely grown out of my training bra. One slow weekday after school, I was approached by a digital rendering of another penguin, seemingly innocent against the soothing backdrop of the digital landscape. I was lurking in the Y8 rooms again, easing my young mind with the pleasant animation of the online games.
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