[patrick-free post] the diamond girls

I am, apparently, missing a girlie gene on some things. Here is why:
Patrick was in two long term relationships: one lasting about 11 years, the other two. He bought, nearly identical jewelry sets for both plus scads of other jewelry for them during the course of each relationship. Which is fine. Patrick isn’t your typical 28 year old bachelor, meaning his apartment could rival someone who is older in that he likes the nicer things in life and I do mean nicer things. But hey, he makes ten trillion dollars a year, so he can do whatever he wants. Right? Right. With that being said, we’ve been butting heads on monetary things — he has issues with me paying for things, but you know, for the better part of my adult life, I’ve always paid my own way. To be in a relationship with someone who openly wants to foot the bill is different. Hell, we’ve been having this argument for years when we were just in a platonic relationship.
Now, Patrick isn’t all talk. I’ve known men who’ve claimed to enjoy the finer things in life and like expensive things but it was more to impress the girls than really to follow through — if you know what I mean. I’ve met his ex of 11 years in the early stages of their relationship and seen the stuff he’s bought her and talked with him about what he was GOING to buy her. I’ve seen the receipts. So we were chatting about this the other night, and he tells me he just got a bonus and was going to buy me something (or I possibly inferred that) and I went apeshit. I don’t want to be one of his “diamond girls” — it’s just not my style. Yes YES, I am cynically funny about how when I was with Paul for three years, he gave me enough diamonds to rival a 1/2 carat total weight (this is a pair of diamond studs, a pendant AND a ring), but I don’t NEED expensive jewelry. For fuck sakes, I wear nothing but jeans and tshirts and boots. I’m a college student! Walking into a classroom with $4500 on my arm is just simply ridiculous.
Then he got pissed as to why I wouldn’t accept expensive gifts. It’s not my style man! I’m about tacky cheap shit, with the exception of a few things like my obsession with Coach, but you know, as I told him, I don’t need expensive things to be impressed. I didn’t need the limo or the fancy hotel or anything, I just want to be with HIM.
You don’t have to buy my love.
Then he said, something like, “But it makes me happy!”
“But it’s overwhelming!”
“Get used to it!”
?????????
I don’t want to be part of the herd goddammit. Hello!
Why does this seem incredibly petty to complain about?