"TIME MOVES ON"

Maria is a fictional character. Bill is a fictional character. This is a fictional story derived from the author's individual experiences.

The relationship between people who meet under certain circumstances. Maria is in love with love and music. Bill is a covert narcissist who hides his true self. Men like him wine and dine their women. Then one day they lie, cheat and steal.

All people need to be aware of these types of men and women that drain their so -called victim of life, love and laughter, slowly weaving their web of lies of their chameleon characteristics.

This story is about Maria, a woman who loves, is kind, well- educated empath. This story is not just about a man and a woman. This story relates to anyone who falls in love or attracts narcissistic personality disordered people.

Mysteriously both men, the one that Maria followed to Austin and the Bill character were covert narcissist wanting to control their prey, drain their prey of life, love, and free spirit. The goal of the one being preyed upon is learning to spot red flags and act upon one's gut feeling by not becoming involved with the narcissist. The prey becomes a warrior, learning to love oneself and prepare oneself to support themselves without the narcissist.

Maria had moved to Austin, Texas from Los Angeles, California in the summer of 2003. She and her music writer boyfriend drove across mountains and deserts to get to Austin.

Maria was so dizzy after trying to find her relatives' house in north Austin, missing turns off the freeway, and ending up at the airport in south Austin. That should have been the first clue to tell her music man they should turn back around and go back to LA. She did not do that. She and her music man stayed with her relatives a few nights. He wanted to immediately change their license plates and driver's license changed from California to Texas. So, Maria said, "Fuck it!"

They decided to stay in Austin after moving 2,000 miles from LA. At first Austin was a big adventure. Maria and her music man moved to south Austin. Maria's relatives did not like south Austin. She had not seen these people for almost 40 years. They did not know she graduated from college. They did not know she worked in the music and film industry in LA. They told her she was on drugs for 35 years. Maria was angry and told them off. She and her music man left the house upon that misinformation gathering. She continued to talk to them, brushing off their misconception of misinformation from gossip of unknown origins.

After a year of living in Austin, the music man moved back to LA. Maria was single for the first time in her lifetime of marriages and boyfriends.

She met a man named Bill at HEB, a speciality grocery in south Austin. Maria was filming a concert by a jazz band. Maria was working with bands in Austin. She was filming and promoting local bands in Austin.

Maria freelanced for an online newspaper out of New York City. They hired her to work at The Austin City Limits Music Festival. So, here she was living with Bill, a covert asshole narcissist. He tried to take over her business operations. He assisted her with her day- to- day operations. Bill lied to Maria about his photography experience. He had a degree in political science and the only camera experience he had was taking photos at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival with a disposable camera. Bill tried to undermine anything and everything she did in production.

Maria retired at 62. She was exhausted, mentally, and physically after living with the asshole. They moved to south Texas on the beach in a bungalow four blocks from the beach in a fishing village built on a pennisula on the gulf.

One day after living in the fishing village for two years, Bill tells her that his new girlfriend is moving in, and she must move out. He had cheated on her in Austin, but stopped after she caught him in the act. She had paid to decorate the rented bungalow that was in his name. Somehow Bill had learned to coverup his cheating so Maria, an empath would not find out until the day he would ditch her for a younger woman.

Maria decided that enough was enough. She was tired of feeling stuck and unfullfilled in her current life. She knew the only way to find true happiness was to follow her heart and move back to California. It was time to leave the cheater behind and move back to LA.

Before she moved out, she messed with his computer, being the techie that she was. Maria cut off the internet. So, she packed her bags, the Xbox, her laptop, and whatever she could get into her luggage. She left behind the family heirlooms that she had brought with her in the summer of 2003.

Maria bought a bus ticket to Austin. She would ride Amtrak back to LA from Austin. She sold her car to have money to move back to LA. Her friend Suzy in the fishing village picked Maria up to stay with her a few days until her bus would be leaving for Austin.

Finally, in the summer of 2016, Maria's dream to move back to LA became a reality. She packed up all her belongings, said goodbye to her friends in south Texas and Austin and set out on the long journey back to LA via Amtrak.

When she arrived in LA, she felt a sense of relief and joy that she had never experienced before in her 66 years of life. She knew she made the right decision by following her heart back to California.

From that day forward, Maria lived a happy and full filling life in southern California. She was with her friends and her son and grandkids.

Maria loves California, the freeways, the beach, the mountains, and the desert. Some of her online friends try to convince her to leave California to go to Europe. Maria tells them, "I followed a music man one time to leave LA. I am glued to the state of California and will not follow another music man again. I am 74 years old; I am good. Whomever or whatever music man can follow me to LA."

"Time takes on life until death.

Time tells me I am still alive.

So, I will fly my own way,

Forgetting about the lie.

Hope time comes quick for you,

Or whatever may come to pass,

You will fly away,

Such sweet sorrow at last.

Parting can be good.

Parting can be bad.

Parting can hurt.

Parting can make you sad.

Time heals pain as in yesteryear.

I'm thankful for the fleeting time our love lived.

That was a big sign.

Time slips by much too soon.

Time stands still for a while.

Then off with the world.

Time flies away like a wild child.

Time brought me happiness.

Time bought me you.

Now time stands still with you.

Like yesterday I fell deep.

Now the shades are pulled away.

The sun shines bright

For a while today.

Like a flash you're gone.

Time passed quicker than before.

But, that I'm thankful for,

That the door may be open not closed forever more."

WRITTEN BY

VICKI LAWANA TRUSSELLI

AN OLD SOUL OF THE UNIVERSE

OCTOBER 2023