Never Finding ‘the One’

Unsplash — Majestic Lukas

I am not sure how long you are willing to sit through long silences next to your wife while wishing you could be with your friends.

You have gone through outings that you don’t necessarily want to go on for decades now.

I disagree with you about not leaving someone when that person may have annoying eating habits, or is chronically late, or insist that you prioritize their time over yours, or who keeps sucking their teeth or clicks their tongue.

I don’t think that we should be loyal to someone who hurts us. I also don’t think that we should feel obligated to stay with someone who we can’t talk to.

You feel bad when she yells at you about how the sound of your friends’ voices over the phone irritates her. For years, she has pressured you to eat whatever she makes even when you don’t want to. She’s never cared to listen to how you feel. She never wants to hear almost anything that you say.

I’m impressed that it’s been decades and you are still with her.

She vents for hours saying the most horrible things. She talks about hearing voices. She’s never treated you with gentle care.

I can’t imagine being with someone who is disgusted by me for more than thirty years.