The turning point came six months into our relationship.
I’d asked him to take Valentine’s Day evening off from work, and he “forgot.” At dinner the following night, he gave me a stuffed animal. It was Hallmark’s special that year: a bear with a hollowed out stomach that could conceal a jewelry box or other surprise. There was nothing inside; James hadn’t even removed the paper wadding. It’s the thought that counts in any gift, and this one said: “I didn’t bother to open the obvious zipper or even wonder why it was there.”
I’m not one for angry outbursts so I waited a few days before sitting James down for a talk. I told him that after six months I needed to know where our relationship was going. He admitted that I deserved clarity, strongly hinted that he wanted to stay together and promised to call me in a couple of days. I never heard from him again. After about a week, I left a message on his answering machine, officially ending whatever it was we had. SEE ALSO: 7 ways love transforms you brain, but you will NEVER know – This will blow your mind!
Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back I can see where I went wrong. All my previous relationships had ended in clean, obvious ways: a fight, a long-distance move, another woman. There were no such end points with James, just a lot of chronic frustration and ambiguity.
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