Which brings me to last week.
I heard through mutual friends that Presley's been asking about me. Telling people I abandoned our relationship for money, that I chose a job over her. And apparently, some people believe that narrative.
Let me explain what actually happened, because the details matter more than the dollar amount.
I had been working for a mid-size construction firm in Denver for 8 years, earning $95,000 annually as a project coordinator. Good money, steady work, but nothing exceptional.
Denver's expensive. Rent was eating a huge chunk of my paycheck. Student loans from my brief attempt at college were still hanging around, and I had accumulated about $35,000 in credit card debt from various life emergencies and poor decisions in my 20s.
Presley and I had been together for 3 years. We met through mutual friends, started dating when I was still working floor jobs, and stayed together as I moved up into coordination and eventually project management.
She worked as an administrative assistant for a dental office and made about $42,000 a year. We lived together in a one-bedroom apartment in a part of Denver that was "up and coming," which means it hadn't been gentrified yet, but was getting there.
The relationship was comfortable. Not passionate, not particularly deep, but functional. We split bills, had our routines, watched television together, went out with friends on weekends.
It worked as long as nothing changed and nobody wanted more than what we had.
Then I got the call from a recruiter I had worked with years ago.
He had a client, an international heavy construction consortium, that was building infrastructure projects in extreme environments. They needed someone with my specific combination of skills. Millwright background, project coordination experience, ability to work with international teams, and willingness to go where most people wouldn't.
The base salary was $640,000 annually. The rotation was 4 months on site, 1 month home. All travel, accommodations, and meals covered while working. Hazard bonuses for certain locations, potential for contract extensions, and increases based on performance.
I ran the numbers immediately, the way I approach any major decision.
In 2 years, I could pay off every debt I had, including my student loans and credit cards. I could save a 6-month emergency fund. I could put a down payment on a house in Denver that wouldn't be in an up and coming neighborhood. After that, I could bank most of the salary for early retirement, investment property, or whatever came next.