When Eggs and Bologna Turn Into Lies

My ex, Alex, showed up at my doorstep after I’d kicked him out, handing me a bag with a dozen eggs and a half-pound of bologna. I took it just to avoid a confrontation. Later that day, a mutual friend told me, “I saw Alex today, he was bragging that he’d stocked your fridge from top to bottom.” I laughed—twelve eggs and some bologna barely filled a shelf, let alone a fridge. His inflated story was classic Alex, always spinning small gestures

into grand tales. It reminded me why we didn’t work; his need to exaggerate even the smallest acts revealed a disconnect between reality and his perception. I tossed the bologna in a pan, shaking my head at the absurdity. The eggs were fine, but his overblown claim? That was just another reason I’d moved on.