We all go into relationships with high hopes. There's that heady honeymoon period: you can't stop smiling, and there's an extra spring in your step. You know it's premature, but you can't help wondering if that person is... the one.
But there are a lot of things that can get between two people before they commit to spending the rest of their lives together. It can be painful and degrading, but it's usually for the best when someone realizes they're making a mistake before they say "I do."
The following people recently took to the internet to share why they had to break up with the person they thought they would end up marrying, in many cases during unusual times like while on vacation.
1. Talk about fantastic timing
I was 16 and totally head over heels for my best friend since I was 8. He felt the same way, we long-distance dated for about 8 months. Before going on a trip to Italy, I call him and he seems distant on the phone. I chalk it up to stress or whatever and go to Italy promising to bring him back something great. I spend the whole trip wearing the gaudy dolphin necklace he gave me and spent an insane amount of money on a Ferrari remote controlled car at the Ferrari HQ. I come back from my trip, call his house, and his dad answers. I ask to speak to my boyfriend, and he says "oh, he told everyone you guys broke up before your trip." I gave the car to my little cousin.
2. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster
My boyfriend and I were long distance. I paid for him to fly down and visit me for two weeks. On the second or third day of his visit, my grandfather passed away. I was an emotional wreck. The next day he broke up with me on account of me being an emotional rollercoaster, then got mad when I said he couldn't stay with me the rest of the visit. He then claimed he didn't mean what he'd said about breaking up, then broke up with me again as soon as he was back home.
3. That will cause some turbulence
A friend of mine broke up with his girlfriend of two-and-a-half years, while on a plane to a wedding in which she only knew him. They shared the hotel room for three days and sat next to each other on the flight back.
4. The beach
A friend of mine takes his live-in girlfriend to Greece for vacation. On the beach one day, he pulls out a ring and asks her to marry him. She tells him not to be so silly, she's never going to marry him and tells him to put the ring away so they could enjoy their vacation.
He sat on the beach with her for two more weeks before flying back home. That's when they finally broke up.
5. Something was definitely up
I encouraged my ex-girlfriend to apply (and helped write/edit her entry essay) to go to a symposium in a foreign country because it would look great on her resume and be good for her master's degree. She gets to said country and a few days into her trip she just stops talking to me. I knew something was up. I could feel it in my heart.
She finally gets back to me and proceeds to blame me for the past three years of our relationship for everything that has ever gone wrong and make me feel like I never made her happy the whole time we were together. This goes on for a few weeks and she wouldn't admit to doing anything on her trip. Finally, I tell her, "It's obvious we're broken up but are you seeing someone during your trip?"
Her answer: "Well, yes and no. But that's not the reason we're breaking up!"
6. Not in the city of love!
My father-in-law had a girlfriend break up with him in Paris. On Valentine's Day. And they still had to fly back to the U.S. sitting next to each other on the plane.
7. This is not what I had in mind
My girlfriend of two years and I lived together and everything. She convinced me that I should quit my job because I hated it even though I had crushing student loan debt. She buys me tickets to Voodoo Fest in New Orleans for my birthday. Instead of it being a romantic vacation for two it turns into me, her, her roommate from college, her brother, best friend from high school, best friend's cousin, and roommate's boyfriend. Once in New Orleans, I run out of money very quickly and she dumps me on Bourbon Street. Instead of letting me spend the night in the hotel that we were all staying at, she graciously let me sleep in the car. Then I get to ride back nine hours to Austin in a car with her best friend from high school, the cousin, and her brother.
Now she's married to her best friend's cousin (the one that went with us). Did I mention that the best friend and cousin were billionaire trust fund babies?
8. That won't get a like
I came back from a cruise. Everything's normal between me and my girlfriend. We tell each other how much we missed each other while I was gone and all that mushy stuff. About three days after I got back we were talking on Facebook messenger and I decided to click on her profile and look at her pictures. I noticed that she had apparently entered a relationship with some other guy on the day I left. Unsurprisingly, she ended up cheating on that guy, too.
9. Change of plans
My best friend had been dating this girl for eight years. He even asked her to marry him. She wanted to wait until they were a few years older, so he agreed to wait.
Fast forward about six years. My best friend, his girlfriend, and her immediate family went on vacation to Florida for a few weeks. I knew things were tense between the two of them but I just chalked it up to a dispute. They get back from vacation, and a few days later he walks into her bedroom. Sits on the floor, and tells her "I'm dumping you, I'm gay, and I've been dating a guy."
To make a long story short he's still one of my best friends, but I've never in my life wanted to punch him so badly for what he did to his former ex-girlfriend.
10. Well, that was short-lived
My ex-wife and I were on our week-long honeymoon in Jamaica. She told me the second night there that when we got back home she wanted to see other people. We definitely could've used the $15,000 from the wedding and honeymoon on something better.
11. A literal whirlwind with no closure
I met her at school. She was in the same year and program as I was. She joined the same newspaper that I was editing for the past year. I wasn't looking for a relationship at the time, but after a few conversations and texts, I was absolutely enamored. We got together about two months later, and I can honestly say that it was as perfect as two people can be together.
We took a trip to New York with some friends. She got a call that she got the job she wanted in another city. I was happy for her. I had started looking in that city when I heard she was looking at the area. We took a trip to Europe, just the two of us. It needed to happen soon as her job started two months after she got the call. The trip was amazing. I helped her pack up her things, and she drove away. We stayed in touch. I looked for a job in the area. I found one while I was at my sister's wedding, I flew from the wedding to the interview. I stayed in her new apartment.
Coincidentally, some friends of ours were coming to visit her that weekend. I got the offer letter while we were all hanging out in her living room. Everyone seemed happy. The next day (the day all of us left) we went for lunch and hung out at the park. Great day. When everyone but me was gone, she broke the news. She wanted a break, which immediately became a breakup. I had 8 hours alone on a bus to ponder what had just happened.
She had told me that she was just worried that life was changing. I never got anything too specific, except that she needed time to sort out her life. There was a distinct impression that we might get back together after she had time to think. That was three months ago. I accepted the job because I liked the industry. I had the hope that she would come around, but I tried to remove that from my decision. She was very evasive when I tried to talk to her (about once every 2-3 weeks). She just told me that she didn't even want to see me to give back each other's stuff. It's a real punch in the gut.
12. That's not where she saw that going
We were dating for four years and lived together for three. I got into school about three hours away and we decided it'd be best if I moved temporarily. Everything was normal. One weekend I drove to see him and we put an offer on a house that we had been looking at and picked out floor samples. One week later he goes on a business trip and says that he "realizes our whole relationship is a lie" because he never ever wants to get married. He gets together with a woman he met at the hotel bar, then called me up and told me. I'm pretty sure there were better ways of handling that.
13. Couch surfing for Thanksgiving
I was going to college in Michigan. She was going to college in North Carolina. We started dating in the fall and we decided that I should fly out and spend Thanksgiving with her and her family. Thanksgiving break comes and I fly out to Greensboro, North Carolina. I get to the airport and she's not there. I call her up and she says she couldn't make it, but to meet her at the college. I spend what little money I had and take a taxi. The taxi driver was really nice and didn't charge me full price, at least.
So I get to the campus and she meets me at the square. We go back to her dorm and she has to sneak me in because it's a female-only dorm. Once we get to her room she promptly breaks up with me. I spend the next couple of days holed up in her dorm room because I've got no way to go anywhere else. After a couple of days, she has her new boyfriend give me a ride to my friend's house. I spent Thanksgiving bouncing from couch to couch until the day of my flight.
14. You couldn't have told me that before?
I was visiting my family in Brazil and came back to Canada to spend New Year's Eve with my girlfriend. Things had been a little weird for a while (we were living about 1,800 miles apart because of a school internship). I was excited to see her, but I got there and things were weird. She continued to be distant for the next three days, avoiding spending time with just me. There was always a roommate or a friend with us. One morning we wake up and talk and she dumps me. She said she wasn't into me anymore after over two years. My flight was a few days later and she lived in a town where I knew absolutely no one. My parents' house was over 300 miles away, but they were outside of the country, and I didn't have a set of keys. I couldn't change my flight dates, so I was stranded at my ex-girlfriend's house for three days.
15. Caribbean queen
A couple was dating for a while and were heading on a trip to the Caribbean. She thought it was finally going to be the moment where he pops the question. On the way to the Caribbean, he told her that after the plane landed that they'll be going their separate ways.
16. The hits just kept on coming
I was 23 years old and going on my first road trip across the country for a month and a half. My friend was supposed to go with me but at the very last minute just stopped answering my texts and calls and eventually told me he couldn't afford it. This girl I had been seeing for two weeks offered to let me come up and stay with her before I left. After I left by myself on my road trip, she broke up with me over the phone. She never answered a single call, text, or email from me after that.
A lot of this trip was me hiking by myself with just my thoughts. On the trip, I got my iPod with all my music stolen while sleeping at a rest stop in my car, and I lost my camera while hiking through Colorado, with every picture of Colorado on it. To this day it still stings a little.
17. A not so jolly Christmas
My ex-girlfriend and I went on an around-the-world trip and when we came back home two days before Christmas, she ended our six-year relationship.
18. The always come cack around
I was having a great time on vacation with a friend. My significant other was going to college four states away and I had just bought $250 worth of plane tickets to go see her (a substantial amount of money for a college freshman). She calls me on vacation and basically says she's done. Then two months later, she comes back to our hometown, and of course, she tells me she still loves me. I told her I didn't want to see her or talk to her. I'm doing very well without her now. Everything works itself out with time.
19. Leave a message after the tone
My friend's boyfriend broke up with her when she was on a family vacation. He called and left a message on their answering machine so when they all got home they hit play and her whole family heard the break-up message.
20. Not so funny at Comic-Con
I spent a lot of money on a trip to Utah for a festival and Comic-Con. Four hours before we left, I got a Facebook message that it was over and she wouldn't be going. We had planned this for five months and had been dating for three years. I haven't heard from her since.
21. That must have been a fun trip
My soon-to-be ex-wife went off on a weeklong vacation to Vegas on her own and then came home for the holidays. She refused to talk to me until Christmas morning. Only then did she tell me, over the phone, that she wants a divorce and I'm to evacuate our house within three days before she gets home.
22. The sound of silence
My friend's ex broke up with her on a road trip (on the way to their destination). They camped out in the same tent for a weekend and then drove four hours back. She said the entire weekend was silent.
23. He saw flashing lights
I broke up with my boyfriend at a public festival. It was pouring down rain, and as I started telling him it was literally during fireworks going off and the national anthem playing. I felt like I was in a bad teen movie.
24. You think that you're still invited?
I went to visit my girlfriend who was on a year abroad in Paris. We wanted to take a couple weeks to travel around Europe. She gave me a cool reception on arrival and seemed to have business to attend to. I was perplexed but killed some time by taking a walk in Paris. On my walk I was lucky enough to see her walking hand in hand with some guy. I was so stunned that I just went back to the hotel and when she came back and I asked her what was going on, she proceeded to say she was seeing this guy and was breaking up with me. The whole trip was arranged, all my money was paying for both of our fares, rental cars, lodging etc. And she still expected to go on the trip.
25. Analyze that?
A friend of mine and her husband were married about ten years. They have three children. Husband surprises her with a trip to the same resort in the Caribbean as their honeymoon. On the second day of a five day stay he tells her he wants a divorce. Turns out he had been having an affair for five years. Also he is a psychologist and specializes in marriage counseling.
26. Bye, bye baby
My girlfriend of 7 years went on vacation. When she came home, the first night she got back she said, "I don't love you anymore, I may have never loved you. I'm going back home, can you buy me a plane ticket?"
I bought her a plane ticket home the next day, best $400 I ever spent.
27. But mom! I want to go to Hawaii too!
My girlfriend from high-school and into the first couple of years of college, broke up with me the night before we were going on a trip to Hawaii. The trip was something that her family had invited me on. I had taken the days off work, packed everything, and then when I showed up at the house with my luggage, her mother told me that she no longer wanted me to go on the trip. Only upside obviously is that I had not paid for the vacation. Prior to that night, I had no inclination that she was not happy.
28. Skype breakup anyone?
My friend was living with his girlfriend and they'd been together for a few years. He had to go to Spain on business for a few weeks. He flew over alone, and she was going to join him the second week for fun vacation stuff. While in Spain without her, he meets a girl and breaks up with his girlfriend via Skype.
29. That is really not nice
I met my first girlfriend when I was 16, and we were together until we were 18 years old. We organized a trip with our mutual friends, and rented a little apartment for three weeks by the sea. We were about 5 guys and two or three girls.
Five days before the end of the vacation, she tells me she "only came here to see if I had to break up with you or not" and left me.
In those 5 days, she slept with my best friend and they didn't even try to hide it. It was really bad, because I had to wait for my flight, and I had to live FIVE days in the same house with my ex-girlfriend and my ex-friend.
30. Over my dead body
We just came back from a trip to France and then I rushed off to a funeral in California right after. I told my family, that I haven't seen in years, how much we loved each other and how happy I was with him. I said hopefully we would get married one day. I come home and find out he had been cheating on me. He faked being happy so he could have a roof over his head. What a waste of four years. It's OK. I'm single and It's pretty nice.
31. Orca Island wasn’t worth it
At the age of 13-14 I paid 50 dollars to go on a trip to Orca Island with my girlfriend's youth group. She had one of her friends break up with me for her when we were on the ferry to get there. I couldn't go home and I was stuck with her in a tiny house for a full week. All the while she's trying to hook up with another guy from the youth group.
32. Those German math tutors are so smooth
I started dating a girl during college. I met her when I was a senior in high school and she was a foreign exchange student. Well she obviously had to go back home to Germany so our relationship kind of ended there but we decided to try the long distance thing while I was in college. It was going great and I would talk to her everyday. I made plans to fly to Germany to go see her for two weeks. We were both excited to see each other again and planned on moving our relationship forward. Fast forward. I arrive in Germany and things are going well. On the THIRD day of my TWO WEEK stay at her place. She tells me she doesn't feel the same way anymore. (She met some guy at a party a month prior to me coming there who helped 'tutor' her in math.) She ignores me and flirts with other guys right in front of me for 11 days. I'm living with her and HER PARENTS. (Who were really nice, and mad at their daughter). Worst trip ever.
33. Friends forever?
Dated a guy for 10 months or so. We traveled overseas and had a great time. Stopped in a town where a good friend of mine lived and spent a few days visiting her. Came back home and continued as usual.
Two months later, I get an email from the overseas friend saying she's coming to visit and will be in town on such and such dates. Me: "Awesome! You can stay here, my guest room is ready. Can't wait to see you!" Her: "Actually, I'm staying with [the guy I was involved with] I thought he told you - we started emailing back and forth after you guys visited here and fell in love."Me: WTF? emails the guy Him: "Oh yeah. I've been meaning to tell you. We've fallen in love and I've never felt this way before."
34. A failed engagement
My fiancé had an internship in Boston while I was still at home in the Midwest. We texted constantly, called a few times a week, and Skyped a couple times (once she told me she was so horny she stripped down and started doing it dirty on camera).
Anyway, I make plans to go see her once she's been there a month. I'm on the phone with her while I buy a $300 plane ticket to go see her (while being unemployed at the time).
So I travel to an unfamiliar city, navigate the public transportation, finally make it to where she's staying, and receive the coldest welcome ever. I ask what's wrong, and she tells me we need to talk. She tells me after 2 years of dating and 6 months of being engaged that she feels "trapped" and gives me back my ring. And like that, it's over. So now I'm an absolute mess and have to change my flight and get a hotel for the night (an additional $500) and fly home the next day. It was not a good time
35. Cleopatra would never have dumped me like this
This was a bad one. I was in a great relationship for 3 years. We had moved in together and I had just gotten my dream job. I was paying the rent on our apartment, lots of good fun, friends, parties and life was sweet. I was so in love.
Anyway - one day she says she needs to go traveling. To Egypt. She'd been there before, and loved it, plus she'd just lost her job, and she needed to clear her head. So she wants me to quit my job and go with her. So I did. Walked away from my dream job, and got on the plane with her. We spent 3 months travelling all over Egypt, hated it, too many nasty men trying to hit on her (she's cute and blonde) and I was ready to kill someone in that heat, so it was time to go home plus we had no money left.
Then she gets a job in a bar, and we're arguing because this bar is always full of sleazy guys and backpacker hippies looking to get free drinks. And I'm real sick of the heat and dust. I have to go back home, she refuses (even though the deal was if I made it to 3 months out there & didn't like it she'd come back home with me). Heartbroken I get the bus to the airport, wave her goodbye, come home and immediately regret it, I miss her.
Anyway, she stays out there another 3 months. We chat on the phone, Skype, whatever, but she's not coming back. Suddenly I get a call from a friend who says he saw her in our hometown. So I call her parents, they don't tell me anything apart from yeah, she's home but she needs to figure out her head, she's not well.
I'm worried, but I leave her to find the right time to see me. A week later I hear she's visiting all our old friends. So I go see them, and they say "oh you just missed her, she was here" and she has no cell phone so I don't know what's up. I eventually find out that she got back and started dating a friend of mine. A real dumb guy too, so I'm really upset. Want to kill him.
I realize all my friends have been lying to me. I freaked out. Luckily I got offered a job in another state hundreds of miles away, a real party city too, so I say screw 'em all and move into my new job. It doesn't take long to get over her, I'm meeting new people and having more hook-ups than ever before, really enjoying life. I got my confidence and my mojo back.
Then she gets a job in the city next to mine, where she knows nobody, and she's calling and suddenly she wants me back. By this time I'm dating 4 women at the same time and just don't need her crap. She turns up at my place and I have a hot girl in bed, but I invite her in anyway. Hot girl gets dressed and it's sort of cool but awkward.
Long story short, there was lots of talking and we end up in a threesome. Which was good, but still awkward. Then she goes back to her city, just a few miles away, and so we start dating again but no way I'm exclusively with her. She's upset about this. I say let's see what happens, I still have major issues about her hooking up with my friend. We argue a lot and I just don't trust her, it's just destructive for both of us.
So eventually I head over to her new place and I see her walking hand in hand with a guy. She sees me, drops this guy's hand and comes up to give me a hug. Guy is not happy with this, wants to fight, he's much smaller than me and it's no big deal. Turns out she's been seeing him for weeks. At this point I was done with this girl for good.
36. Full on k-drama
My girlfriend had cheated on me and I caught her, she cried and begged and I decided not to break up with her. It took me a while to trust her again. We decided to move to Korea together from South Africa and we lived there for two years. One time she went to visit her sister, who was also in Korea, and I had to stay behind and work. Months later I get home from work and she is on the bed crying saying she can't lie anymore, she cheated on me while she was visiting her sister, she feels terrible, please forgive her.... I do...
We finish working in Korea, she wants to travel Central and South America before moving back to South Africa to study some more. We spend a year backpacking from Northern Mexico to the Southern tip of South America.
We get back to South Africa and I am struggling to find work because there is no work in South Africa, I freelance as an environmental impact assessment contractor and let me tell you the work is not steady. I end up having to go to very remote parts of the country to try to keep making some money in between the periods of no work. I get back from the middle of nowhere and walk into the door. She says we need to talk, she asks me to leave and go to my parents. I am shattered.
I go to my folks, we break up officially about a week later... I spend six months living with my parents in a terrible state of depression. I guest lecture at universities but am drinking a lot and don't care. I decide to move back to Korea. Dad and Mum agree that it's a good idea.
I still speak with her a bit. One day she says to me that we shouldn't be friends on Facebook and we need to take some time not talking to each other. I readily agree.
She e-mails me a few months later and says she feels guilty and doesn't want to lie anymore. She had been dating one of my "best friends" since I walked out the door to go home to my folks. I say "all I ever wanted was for you to be happy and if it couldn't be with me I hope you can be with him." I never spoke with her again.
37. I didn't realize this was an open relationship...
Living with my fiancé in a different state for school, she is getting ready to go out after I come home from my part time job. Generally this would be a thing we would do together or at least have a brief by the by "oh hey I'm going out with my girlfriends tonight"... I naively believe I should get ready but as I do I get "oh how bout I get a rain check" on me joining her.
An hour passes at home, I decide to go get a 6-pack at the gas station and some Arby's (comfort food) to settle my nervous stomach. As it gets later I drop by an acquaintance's place to try and sort this out. I say "acquaintance" because after a year of living in a different state and not being socially forward the only friend I had was my fiancé.
I leave slightly buzzed, more confused and headed for the unfamiliar night scene to satisfy my curiosity. 20 miles later, the first random place I arrive at is a busy nightclub on the beach. I order a drink and immediately spot my fiancée across the way.
She's with a guy she works with, I only recognize him from the night she oddly made me go out and have dinner with him and his best friend 3 weeks earlier.
They are clearly on a date. I can't believe it, I'm in such shock, at the same time trying to remain unrecognized as I work angles, hiding to look through shaking tears at their very intimate moment... perversely interested in seeing where this goes to try to make sense of this blind side.
Gut wrenching moments pass, one after another, kissing, hugging, laughing, looks that had only been reserved for me. I gathered the nerve, I decided if I could walk over, pull her hand and see the ring I gave her, it would tell me all I wanted to know. That she either lied about being engaged and was not wearing it. Or the guy knew and was a piece of shit for scheming on an otherwise to-be married woman.
I walked straight up to her. She was not startled or concerned at all by my intrusion to their date. I grabbed her hand to look close. She was still wearing the ring. I told her calmly "Its over" . She mouthed "What?".. I realized I could barely squeak into her ear a 2nd time over the loudness of the busy club "Its over". No response.
Somehow I made it back to my car shaking and sick to my stomach. It was a 45 minute drive back to the apartment. I called her mom. I was close with her family and I wanted to let her know that it didn't work out and that we wouldn't depend on each other anymore.
She didn't come home that night, and I didn't sleep. I packed my car to head home 4 states away. She arrived mid-morning with just enough time to muddle through a circular argument about how inadequate I was.
Numb and lost, our puppy and I took an unplanned 10 hour drive to my parents that summer afternoon.
38. Skype breakups are never fun
I went for a two week vacation in my home country last 2014. I had a great time. Met some friends, enjoyed, had a good time in general. Then three days before I'm scheduled to fly back to Dubai for work, my then girlfriend and me went had a Skype session to catch up. She lived in Dubai as well. She broke up with me on the Skype call and right after dropping the call started posting some photos of her with another dude on her social media accounts. Photos included gifts from said dude, the works. It then occurred to me that I got cheated on.
39. Can I breakup with you but keep your family?
After a few years of dating and just under a year of living together, we were out at Lake Powell for a family reunion/vacation with all of his immediate family (8 siblings, their significant others and kids) and some extended family, all staying on a houseboat together. He lied about something. He lied about a lot of things and I usually just let it slide because it was usually such a pointless lie that it didn't matter (ie "I only gamed for 2 hours last night" when it was 6). This time, he was trying to throw my roommate and longtime friend under the bus and I caught him in the lie. When we were away from the family, I confronted him about it very calmly and asked to talk to him about why he lies about little things that end up just making his life harder. Well, instead of having a conversation with me in a neutral and private environment, he lost it, went back to the houseboat and started packing all our stuff and yelling to his entire family about how I was psychotic and manipulative and he wouldn't put himself in such a toxic environment anymore. Told my 5 year old several times that we had to leave because his mom is crazy. The entire time I was silent, and just let him pack. Pretty soon into it, I took my son away from the situation because it was that dramatic and psychologically harmful. I was silently crying and his sisters and brothers were coming to hug me and tell me they love me (they all know how he is). He demanded his brother drive us the 1hour back to the marina, 2 days into the 7 day trip. I gave him a ride all the way home (a couple hours) in my car, because his car had been repossessed a few days earlier. Silence the entire way home, and then he moved all of his stuff out while I took my son to the park.
40. London falling
We were on vacation together in London...I flew from Florida to see him and we had just spent 3 amazing days in Paris. I was on cloud 9. On my second to last day, he woke up, took a shower, and when he came out he told me "we didn't have what it takes to make it long distance." He left me sobbing in the hotel room, hours before anyone at home was even awake to console me.
41. The feelings are distant
I met a girl a few years back when I lived in London, we spent a few months together before I returned to Australia. The following year she came over and spent 3 months with me before she returned to the UK. We never actually broke up, we just left it as a 'see you again soon' kinda thing.
The year after that I booked a flight to London to spend a few weeks with her. The day after I booked my flight she told me she was seeing another guy. It was going well with him so she decided the thing we had was officially over.
Now I totally understand the difficulties in staying with someone who lived on the other side of the world, but come on, coulda broken up with me before I booked the bloody flight!
42. Disney heartbreak
I was 15. I lived in Massachusetts and my dream was to go to Disney World at the time. My boyfriend was going to Florida with his family for a week and his family invited me to go with. It was the most magical time. In my head, everything was going so perfect... I got to go to my dream place with my first love. I fell in love with him so fast and so hard. His family loved me, my family loved him. It seemed so right!
Then the day we got back from this amazing vacation, he broke up with me... Through email! I asked him why and never got a response back, ever. He could've at least waited a week after coming back! Way to break a young girl's heart.
But here is a happy ending to this story...Now I'm happily married and live in Orlando. I can go to Disney World with the hubby anytime I want!!!!
43. This guy sucks
A guy I know had spent months planning a trip with his 2-year girlfriend to the Middle East and Europe. He arrived before her, and apparently started hooking up with local women. Emboldened by his newfound ability to get with the ladies, he decided to break up with her.
Here's the kicker -- he WAITED UNTIL SHE LANDED to break up, reasoning that it's better to do it in person. They had a multi-week trip planned together, complete with activities and lodging, that she'd already paid for. Needless to say, dude isn't my friend anymore, for totally different reasons.
44. No chemistry is a recipe for disaster
I broke up with someone while we we backpacking in a foreign country. Just the two of us. I did it in the first week of travel of a month long trip. In my defense, I could Not pretend to be romantically interested in this man for a second longer. The thought disgusted me. We had been dating long distance prior to this and I quickly saw a side of him I did not care for shortly into the trip.
45. Disneyland is supposed to be a place of love
My friend had his first girlfriend and they were dating for about three months. The parents of the girl absolutely LOVED him. This girl however, didn't really want to even hold his hand. Before I say anything let me throw this out there, this chick isn't the brightest bulb on the Hanukkah bush, her "dream" was to become a female catholic chaplain. (You can't do that)
So they invite him to Disneyland for a week and a half. (I think the parents did not her) They drive down there, have a bit of fun for the first day, then, out of nowhere she said, "Listen, I was praying last night and I really don't think God wants me to have a boyfriend. I'm breaking up with you, we can still be friends though."
My friend was absolutely pissed, (he isn't religious at all), he doesn't show it though. They are still there for another 10 days and he is stuck with her. He pretty much did absolutely nothing due to the fact that he was depressed (first breakup).
They finally finish that horrible vacation and eventually drive home. That's when he decided to tell her parents. They were more pissed than she was. They started yelling at her and was an even worse car ride home.
It's been about 7 months since the breakup and he still has feelings for her. Poor guy, not only did she break up with him, she broke up with him at Disneyland.
46. A New York state of mind
I went to New York on vacation with my girlfriend of 2 years. I noticed that in the weeks before, she had been getting a little distant and was texting on her phone a lot, she would never leave her phone just laying anywhere like usual, always had it on her. The night before we leave I asked her if anything was wrong, and told her about how her behavior was a little suspicious. She reassured me and said it was just stress from planning the trip. I knew better, but I said screw it and went on our trip anyways.
The first day we are there she hardly talks to me at all, every time I would point something interesting out she would just say "Oh that’s cool" and go right back to texting on her phone.
So while we were waiting on a table at the Hard Rock Cafe I happened to get a glance of who she was talking to. Was some guy whose name I didn't recognize, and the message she sent him went something like "I'll be home soon baby, don't worry. I love you". At this point she didn't realize that I could plainly see what she was typing on her phone over her shoulder. She texted this guy back and forth for our entire 30 min wait for a table, and she didn't say one word to me that whole time.
I seriously about lost it right there. I wanted to tell her what was on my mind right there in front of everyone in that restaurant. But I kept my cool and waited until we got back to hotel that night. We still had 4 more days there, and I personally was not about to let her ruin the trip. We got back and I confronted her about it, she went on to tell me that it was just some guy that she was good friends with in high school, blah blah blah. I told her if that was the case then she needed to stop ignoring me and that she needed to stop texting him on OUR vacation. She turned her phone off right there and left it off for the rest of our trip.
I still wasn't convinced obviously, so I had planned to talk more about when we got home. We get home, her sister picks us up from the airport in my truck, which I had left at her sister's house since she dropped us off. First thing I notice is that the full tank of gas that was in my truck when we left is now completely gone and the interior of it was full of trash, so her sister drove my truck around for that week we were gone and trashed the hell out of it.
Finally get to where we were alone and I told her that I knew what she was doing. I knew that she was cheating on me and trying to hide it. She starts crying and tells me "I can't believe you would accuse me of that, I told you he was just an old friend and that we were catching up." Little did she know that I had installed a keylogger on my laptop and thus saw every message that she sent this same guy over Facebook. Most of them were very intimate and it was plainly obvious that she was cheating on me with this guy. I had the proof right there in writing, and she STILL insisted that it was nothing and that I was being ridiculous.
At that point I was so completely dumbfounded about her maintaining innocence even in the face of that proof, so I really had no clue what to say. While I was still trying to process all this she says "I don't think I can't keep dating you, you are too insecure and you don't trust me anymore." Duh, I just pieced together that you are cheating on me while we were on vacation in New York.
At that point I literally had nothing more to say to her, so I left. I forgot that had quite a few things in her house still. So when I called her the next day to get my stuff she wouldn't answer. After that day she would not answer or return any of my calls or texts. I ended up having to get her mom to go get my stuff for me. It wasn't but 3 days after all this that she had already changed her status on Facebook to show that she was in a relationship with that other guy.
I will never understand how one person could be this shitty to another person, let alone the person that they dated for two years.
47. No extra credits
We were young and fresh out of high school and in our first few semesters of college. She was brilliant and had suffered the wrath of her Asian parenting for years, but it allowed her to excel and she was able to attend a pretty nice college....three or four states over.
I, on the other hand, did the bare minimum in school and lacked any motivation to improve. As a result, I spent the first few semesters in a local college. This was good, because I finally got motivated. I wanted to do well, stop wasting my potential and get the chance to transfer my credits over to her school so we could be by each other's side again.
At first it wasn't so bad. We'd talk every night, played WoW together between homework assignments and generally kept each other updated with what was going on in our lives. All the while, I'd be saving every dime I had to l to get over there to see her. In retrospect it was a poor use of my money, but I loved her and wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.
So things were going as well as they could be, for a while. Then one autumn rolled around, and she fell into her depression like she always did at that time of the year. I did my best to keep her spirits up as I always did, but this year it wasn't working. She just kept getting quieter and quieter, retreating from me with each passing day. I should have seen the signs then, but I just figured that school was putting pressure on her that was causing her depression to become even worse. I could totally fix it. I always had before.
Her birthday was coming up and there was something I know she really wanted (I don't even remember exactly what it was) that she had asked for previously. I took up as many hours as I could at work to be able to afford the gift and to be able to go out and spend her birthday with her. One 12 hour train ride later, followed by a 2 and a half hour bus ride and I was there at her city's bus stop around 8 AM. But she was nowhere to be found. Odd...she knew I was coming, maybe she had class and couldn't meet me. Guess I had to walk then.
So I'm running on fumes since I hadn't been able to get any sleep for the last 14 hours, it's the middle of November and there was already snow on the ground so it's absolutely freezing, I'm walking up every hill there is in the city to reach her dorm which is of course at the highest point, and I'm lugging around the really heavy gift I had gotten her in my backpack that's threatening to snap me in two. I finally reach her room two hours later. I'm sweaty, I'm exhausted, and a little annoyed that she hadn't responded to my texts, but I'm happy because I'm able to see her again.
She looks much less happy. She doesn't even crack a smile when I show up at her door. She accepts her gift, but won't let me kiss her. She tells me she doesn't love me anymore. She doesn't want me anymore. So I spent the rest of that weekend alone, trapped in her town knowing almost nobody with nowhere to go until my return train comes back in a few days. She could have done this before I left, dumped me before I paid for the train ticket and traveled a total of 16 hours to get to her. Maybe she wanted to do it in person, sure, but I can only assume she REALLY wanted that present.
48. This is why I only love pizza
Timing is everything! A cousin of mine flew to Italy for a 6 week trip (with his girlfriend who was living there at the time), their plan was to travel and hike all around Europe and finally meet her entire family in Spain for a rather grand festival. He broke up with her as soon as he arrived on the plane...
And they then proceeded to go on their trip! He said that it was rough, and that there was a lot of crying (he seemed very surprised at this).
We don't see eye to eye on many things.
49. You couldn't wait one more hour?
I got dumped during my father's wake. It was a couple of hundred miles away from home. My girlfriend and I had a mild argument and she caught a taxi to the train station and went home.
Within a few weeks, she was with someone else, but I only found out later. We had been together for over three years and were talking about moving in together and marriage so this news only confused and upset me further. Plus, she had been coming to see me after I finished work and saying there was a chance we could get back together. In reality, she was using me since I was giving her money during this time. I was a doormat and she knew it.
50. He did the math
It was 4 days before my birthday and she said she was going to get me a gift. I knew I couldn't break up with her for at least 30 days after accepting her gift and I wasn't willing to make a 34 day commitment to the relationship. So I broke up with her.
51. Too matchy-matchy
This was many, many years ago (probably '92 or so). I was out shopping with a girl and we stopped in at the Gap. She picked out a skirt or some pants or whatever, and when she went up to pay for them, the woman at the register asked her if she needed a pair of matching socks.
My girlfriend happily said "Yes", and I thought that totally unacceptable, that she could be so quickly and easily swayed to make yet another purchase. It was SHOCKING to me.
We broke up two days later.
52. Make up your mind
I once broke up with a girl because she couldn't ever decide on something. I would say, "Lets go to the movies" and I'd even ask what movie she wanted to see, and she would NEVER make up her mind. Drove me nuts.
Turns out she had another boyfriend, and when I confronted her about it, she told me "She couldn't decide between the two of us."
53. So long, farewell
She would always say how much she loved to travel, but has never been outside of California. Retweeting, reblogging, Instagram, everything about her "travels to the grocery store" or "my travels to Yosemite." I ended it cause I said I needed space, last thing she said to me was "good luck on your travels."
54. Out of sync
She would sing along with songs that were playing on the radio, but with a delay of .5 seconds, like she knew the tune, but didn't know the words until she HEARD them. It got SO annoying, SO quickly. Not listening to that for the rest of my life. Nope.
55. Loves her nugs
She refused to eat anything besides chicken nuggets and french fries. No substitutions. Not chicken tenders. Not chicken strips. If we went somewhere without nuggets and fries she would just order a Coke and watch me eat.
I once made the mistake of cooking dinner for her. She took one bite and asked if I would be offended if she ran to McDonalds to get nugs/fries.
There were a host of other reasons, but that was a big factor.
56. This us everyone, though
Anytime a cat walked into her line of sight (we're lesbians, there's always a cat around), she would go "kitty!" Didn't matter if she was in the middle of saying something or if I was talking about something. It just popped out of her mouth. I couldn't handle it.
57. A tragedy of gross proportions
The moment I decided it was over was when I saw her poop. Not the verb, the noun. She had to use the bathroom at my place before we hopped in the shower together, and as I'm undressing and ready to hop in, I see this giant floater. I avert my eyes, hoping she'll notice and do something about it. She doesn't even seem to care! So I put the lid down at least and she says, "I think there's something wrong with your toilet."
Okay, so not only is there a gross turd in my toilet that broke the spell of this image of a beautiful woman, but now she's blaming me for it! That stuff ticks me off. After a few weeks we break up. But here's the kicker:
A couple months later I go to use my toilet and notice a floater. I knew I had flushed last time I used it and I watched the poop get sucked away, but it had resurfaced. Apparently the pressure is just low enough in my toilet that sometimes the poop gets sucked away, but not out of the bend in the toilet, and can inch its way back and surprise you the next time you go to use it.
So wait, maybe she was right, I thought, maybe there is something wrong with my toilet. And I think back to that night and realized I had taken a dump right before she came over. So not only was my toilet really broken, but it had been MY turd in the toilet all along that had turned me off from her.
58. Me like cookie
I dated this girl who was the loudest eater I ever met. She constantly chewed with her mouth open and smacked her lips. God forbid if she really liked it, then there came a litany of mmms and noms as well. It was like dating the cookie monster.
59. But...what...
We are at a local brewery and she looks as though she is about to cry. I ask her what the problem is and she mentions that they don't have any vegan options. They have plenty of vegetarian options that allow for you to substitute for vegan cheese, so I suggest that. At this point tears are rolling down her cheek. I ask if she has another place in mind and she immediately perks up. We head over to that restaurant and she orders fish tacos.
60. It's the little things
I dated this one girl who would gulp super loudly ever time she drank anything. I mean, I could hear her drinking from the other room, it almost sounded comical.
Also, oh my god, she eats her food one thing at a time. Like, she has steak, mashed potatoes, veggies on her plate right? She eats all of her mashed potatoes... THEN she eats all of her steak... THEN she eats all of her veggies. Leaving each piece of food untouched until she's finished another. So after making steaks for us, after 5 minutes, I would ask her "so how is the steak?" And she'd be like "Oh... I haven't had any yet."
Anyway I'm not George Castanza so I just married her instead.
61. So much wrong
She was putting mustard on her fries by applying it to her hand first and then rubbing it all over the fries. Then she licked the mustard off her hand. You would never ever think she would do this by looking at her or speaking to her.
62. It's a condition
Puff knuckle. When the hand is open, the knuckles make dimples instead of bumps. This person was not fat. Just weird puffy knuckles. Once noticed, could not be unseen.
63. Well, did you?
She would constantly talk specifically during the dialogue of movies. In scenes where nobody was talking...silence. Then as soon as somebody started talking:
"DID YOU READ THAT ARTICLE ON SHEA BUTTER IN THE PAPER?"
64. Gotta have his PB&J
She was allergic to peanut butter. Like really bad. If I was gonna see her I couldn't have peanut butter for the two days before. That's a life I don't want to live.
65. Class differences
Her parents were too rich. And I don't mean like nice house in the suburbs money I'm talking Fortune 500 CEO type money. It was seriously intimidating and I couldn't handle the pressure. So I stuck a note in her locker on the last day of school after a 3 month relationship (I was 17 so way too old to be doing that type of cowardly crap). It also made for a very awkward senior year.
66. Subtly flawed
There was a girl that I dated in college that I thought that I liked a lot, but I kept finding ridiculous, immaterial faults in her. For instance, her left toe pointed slightly inward when she walked, or her areolae were a bit asymmetric. She came from the south, and although her accent was mostly gone, the way she said certain words would start to grate on my nerves.
I became obsessed with these things until I just had to break up with her ... even though I really liked her. In retrospect, she was my first serious post-high school girlfriend, and I think I was just freaking out about how fast things were going.
67. So salty
She would put saltine crackers in her soup and crush them up. No big deal I do that to but when she was done she would lick her hands clean of all the cracker dust. Every. Single. Time! I could not handle this no matter how amazing the rest was.
68. Oh my gaaawwwwwd
We weren't ever in a relationship, but I went out with a girl a few times who was completely normal whenever she was around me, but whenever I saw her with her friends she morphed into one of those weird, screaming, over-excited girls who seem like a flock of chickens. Big turn-off.
69. A very hairy rejection
There was a chin hair that would begin to appear every morning, and every morning she'd head to the bathroom and emerge sans chin hair. Still though. Other than that she was perfect.
70. Puny ego
His head was too small. Like freakish, shrunken head small. He was a big dude 6'4 200 pounds, with this tiny child size head I could completely wrap my tiny girl hands around. My friend still call him Tiny Head Paul. I hope he found someone to love him and that petite noggin of his.
71. Someone has to mind
She always said "I don't mind" as the answer to every question put to her. What film do you want to see? What do you want from the chippy? What club do you want to go to tonight? Always "I don't mind" so I would make a choice only to be met with "Ugh, I don't like that. I would rather do something else." Drove me up the walls after a while.
72. Size matters
I looked at him, really looked at him from a distance, and realized that his head was just way too big for his body. I spent the next two weeks trying to convince myself that it really wasn't that big, or that even if it was, I shouldn't care.
But I couldn't get it out of my head so...goodbye Big-head Steve, hello shallow Me.
73. From another planet
I met this gorgeous Kenyan girl. Beautiful to put it simply. I took her to a baseball game and things were going well. But she kept referring to the crowd as "the humans" or "you humans". For instance, 3rd inning comes around and so does the wave. Once it passes us, she sits down, laughs and says "You humans have weird customs." This freaked me out. All I could think was if we are the humans... what are you?!
74. A man needs his space
She always wanted to cuddle/touch me/flirt while I was eating. I told her it bothered me, but she thought it was cute or something so she did it often. One night while eating a slice of pizza she kept rubbing her hand up and down my arm, I had decided enough was enough and loudly broke up with her.
75. Keeping it moist
Years ago I dated a guy who was obsessed with cherry Chapstick. He'd slather it on obsessively including before we'd make out. It got to the point where the smell alone repulsed me. Recently a friend was matched with him on OKCupid and asked me if I knew him. I was telling her about the Chapstick thing, and as she scrolls through his profile, we see a list of top 5 things he can't do without. Number 1? CHERRY CHAPSTICK.
76. Is it meant to be? No
She would always make points by asking opposing questions. For example, "Do I like crunchy peanut butter? No. Do I like creamy peanut butter? Yes."
It happened three or four times a day. And never in a scenario that made sense to be formatted that way. I didn't even break up with her. I just couldn't bring myself to talk to her out of fear of having an aneurysm.
77. Not crafty enough
I'm really into craft beers and I get super excited when I go to a place with a really big tap and/or bottle selection. I was on a second date with a guy and we were at a local bar with one of the best bottle selections in town. As I'm standing there analyzing the different bottles, trying to narrow down what I'd like to try, he orders us two Busch Lites.
I stopped returning his calls after that.
78. Just be honest
Every time I order take out, out of politeness I ask other people in the room (friend, family, dates) if they want some and usually imply it's my treat.
I said to her "I'm hungry, do you want something to eat?" and she said "no" and I made sure "Are you sure? Anything you want is fine!" and she said "no, thanks, honestly." So I ordered some take out just for myself, just enough for ME because she wasn't just clear, she was EXTRA CLEAR she did not want anything.
Food arrives. "uh can I have some?" mental sigh "yes. yes you can have some" I ate half-a-meal, she ate half-a-meal, I'm not satisfied, she is not satisfied. "Are you sure you don't want me to order you something?" She replied "No, I'm not hungry" while eating. She did this too many times.
79. Petty is as petty does
"I love your Burberry scarf," she says to me on our first date. It was a gift from family. It was a little foreshadowing of what was to come. I come to learn that she loves fashion. She was attractive. That's fine. I have no interest in it. One day she calls me wanting to vent about her horrible sister in law. "She bought me a Tommy Hilfiger shirt for my birthday! I hate Tommy Hilfiger! She has no style! She doesn't know my brands! My brother knows my brands! We are very close so he knows my brands. How can he marry someone like that!?!?" I never spoke to her again.
80. Curious mating ritual
On our first date, I brought her home. I went to let my dog out for a grand total of five minutes, and she shaved her legs using my razor. I came back in, went in the bathroom, and it was like a shaving cream bomb went off. Then I noticed my razor, wet with hairs on it. I have a full beard, and hadn't used it in over a week. She then played it off like nothing happened, and there was nothing she felt like telling me.
81. That's actually hilarious
Her natural laugh was a bellowing siren that sounded extremely forced and fake. During a normal conversation, this reverse duck call would sporatically ring through the public area causing literal standstills, quickly followed by several groups paying full attention to our table just waiting for the next siren to go off. And it would - with the exact same pitch, volume and length. She was well aware of this phenomenon but was convinced it was a charming attribute and only a few haters were jealous of her zest for life. Nope.
82. Chug-a-lug
When she was thirsty, she would take a sip of water from the glass, lower the glass, move the water around in her mouth, then sallow. Repeat that for like 10 times until she drank all the water. Drove me nuts watching her do that, she even did it when she was super thirsty.
83. Now that's prickly
I had a boyfriend who I really, genuinely felt positively about. After years of being horribly mistreated I had finally found my prince. He wasn't physically perfect by any means, but it didn't bother me! He had the physique of a lumberjack who drank too much beer, which I kind of liked because I figured he could protect me in a street fight.
However, I'm a cuddler, and he had weirdly prickly upper-arm hair. Like, it hurt. For some reason after about 6 months this completely destroyed my attraction to him. I was so terrified of that prickly feeling.
I still miss his sense of humor and how sweet he was! Too bad about the arm hair.
84. Put the trash where it belongs
He littered. Constantly. I was 15 and thought he was adorable. But he littered like he was trying to single-handedly destroy the environment. Get out a stick of gum? Wrapper on ground. Done with a soda? Can thrown into grass. Finished reading a flyer? Crumble and throw onto ground. It lasted one week between us. Final straw was him finishing a bottle of Coke and dumping it into a pond. I looked at him and said: "go get that and dump it in the trash! It's disgusting!" He laughed and told me to "stop being a tree hugger." And then added: "it's not like it can't handle a bit of trash being in the water." I glared at him and shoved him with all my strength right into the duck poop filled pond. I waited until he was done calling me names before I said: "you're right. The pond can take a bit more trash. You're in it after all." He was mad beyond all reason and I just walked away. I told the park ranger if he saw a pond muck covered fool walking around it was because he been dumping stuff in the pond. He avoided me for the remainder of high school. Ironically he was president of the "Keep our beaches clean" group during senior year. He never mentioned the incident after it happened, but he seemed to have changed.
85. Please to get lost
She would intentionally use broken, ungrammatical English when speaking to non-native English speakers because she thought they would understand that better. So if the guy at the convenience store had an accent she would say something like:
"Please to selling me the Salem 100's."
86. Calligraphy or nothing
I dumped a girl for her poor penmanship. She saw my car in the parking lot at work. She stopped and put a note under the windshield wiper that said "Hi! Just saw your car here, and wanted to tell you how excited I am about tonight!"
That night she was supposed to meet my friends. She did not. The note appeared to have been written by a 2nd grader with broken hands. I have always imagined her gripping the pencil in her fist, pinky down. Biting her lip and furrowing her brow, concentrating on each and every letter as she scrawled out that simple note. With her big fat kindergarten-sized pencil. The only thing that would have made that note more childish in appearance, would be if it had been scribbled out in crayon.
87. The sum is more than its parts
I broke up with this girl for not one, but a bunch of petty reasons. Her eyes were slightly misaligned when her glasses were off. She wore socks with sandals nearly every day (also, foot odor). She always (ALWAYS!) had a cold. She chewed her hair constantly. She put lemon in her beer, even beers that weren't offered with lemon. She stole some candy from a store, right in front of me. It was our third date. She couldn't pronounce the word "nuclear" properly, even after correction. She had never read a book outside of school and seemed proud of it.
Add them all up together and you have one pretty solid reason to say goodbye.
88. Hey, wait up
I broke up with someone because he was a fast walker. I'm no turtle myself but if I've busted out the heels for a nice date and we're walking on cobblestone streets, don't expect me to sprint after you. Dinner reservations aren't for another half hour! Slow down and enjoy your surroundings! It also boded badly for him when he kept turning around to speak to me, saw that I was lagging, and kept on going the same pace. It's the little things, little things like that, that shows lack of consideration for other people.
89. Dumped over dots
She wouldn't count her dominoes.
She came over to my house. My friends and I were in a domino games phase. We finished the first game, and everyone counted up their scores. I got to her, and she hadn't counted. A ten minute conversation ensued wherein I learned that she "just didn't feel like it." We were all astounded by her lack of respect for the game and us as people, who had no problems with counting dots on dominoes, and had just found out we played a meaningless game since one of the participants stopped participating. Eventually she left and I felt relieved.
90. So long, sweaty
She was an amazing chef. But she had super sweaty hands, and the way she handled ingredients just felt like she was trying to wrap her sweaty hands around them as much as possible. Every time she cooked, the meal was amazing but I just pictured her hands dripping sweat into the cooking pot...couldn't handle it.
91. Anything for Fido
She was too nice to her dog. Pee in the house? Nothing. Nonstop yipping? Nothing. No discipline. On the flip side - after all of the messes, the dog owned the bed, got treats whenever it wanted, and acted like a princess. I want someone who is capable of discipline and being honest, when necessary... I didnt think I would be able to trust her constant happiness and dog pleasing qualities.
92. The master thief
In university halls in my first year I was making small talk with a girl I'd started seeing. Chatted about what she had for dinner, she said she had pasta and cheese. I made a passing comment about her being a big spender, I was smooth, I know. Cheese is a bit of a luxury for students. She said she took the cheese from the shared fridge and it wasn't hers. Instant romance killer. Couldn't see her again. I can imagine taking a slice of bread or a bit of butter but cheese is pushing it.
93. Analog versus digital
Went on a couple dates with a girl and one night she was at my place after the date. She asked me what time it was, I checked my watch and said "quarter after 10." She lived 10 minutes away and said "Oh no I have to be home by 10:30 I'll never make it." I said "It's 10:15, just head out now and you are fine" and her response was "Well why did you say quarter after then!?"
I was like... Uhh... Huh.. God, she was dumb.
94. Rather old-fashioned
He would never let me hold the remote control. EVER. Not only did I never have a say in what he watched, but he had the worst taste in movies and TV shows.
The final straw was when he set his alarm for 2 AM on a work night so he could watch a tennis match...A TENNIS MATCH.
I could never be with anyone who couldn't compromise with me on something as simple as watching TV/movies that we both like.
95. Difference in discipline
She decided to buy us McDonald's. It was her and her son and me. When she asked what I wanted I ordered the chicken nuggets combo. We sat down and her kid pulled the worst habit I can't stand in kids (I have 2 of my own). He looked at his food and looked at mine and whined for my food. I looked him dead in the eye and said "no." Then she made me share it with him! I don't care who bought it, that was my order. We didn't last long after that.
96. No love for queso
I broke up with my high school girlfriend because when she took me out to dinner on my birthday and asked what I wanted, I said "Queso & Chips," which is one of my favorite things in the world. It was at Planet Hollywood, and they had the queso with sausage or hamburger in it, and it was amazing. She told me "No, you have to pick something else. You're not going to have queso & chips for dinner."
I immediately saw into the future, at the next few decades where I would be stuck to this horrible nag who wouldn't let me do or say or eat what I want. I broke up with her the next day.
97. Eurotrip
She cheated on me. Multiple times. On her trip to Europe -- which she is still on. I saw the Facebook messages on the computer where she was still logged in. Then she lied when I called her on it. This all happened about 4 hours ago. I’m at a bit of a loss. I was planning our engagement. I’m glad it happened now I guess. Very rough though.
98. Lady of the rings
Every time we fought, she would throw her engagement ring somewhere, make me get it, then make me plead with her to put it back on. Even for very small disagreements and even in public. That was the final straw. It was a very messed up feeling begging somebody to be with me all the time. It gave me huge insecurity issues.
That was on top of the fact she began to call me names and hit me a lot. It all started after we got engaged for some reason. Things were so perfect but as soon as she got that ring everything changed. Suddenly she started doing the things I mentioned, along with calling me a loser. She called me ugly a lot too.
99. Trust funds
I found a credit card statement on the floor once, just before a family holiday. He had a accumulated thousands in debt that he'd never told me about. I'd been paying the rent entirely by myself, working in a job I hated, and I was too young and naïve (23) to realize he wasn't an honest man. That was it.
We still chat every now and again. We wanted different things in life, so the argument that followed was the straw that broke the camel's back. My next partner (now husband) had a lot of debt from a failed business, but the difference was he was honest about it, so I didn't care. Money doesn't trump love, but honesty is the bedrock of any relationship.
100. Friendship on fire
She was in love with my best friend, and they were both in denial about it. They were engaged a month after we broke up.
They both told me nothing physical happened, and I believe them. But they hung out a lot (which was pretty normal because we were all friends in high school) and I'm pretty sure they were already emotionally involved because she started to drift away from me.
They were both nice about it and asked if I'd be okay. I said yes because they seemed like they would be happy together and I cared about them both -- but I don't hang out with them all that much because as nice as I try to be about it I still feel betrayed. I still talk to my best friend every once in a while, but it doesn't ever really get any deeper than texting, "What are you up to these days?"
101. Not a fairytale
She wanted to go to Florida for the Disney college program. (She is a huuuge Disney nerd). But she was too scared she would lose me. I convinced her to do it because if she didn't she would regret it forever, and that no matter what happened I would still be here for her. 6 months and an engagement ring later she told me that while in Florida she realized she didn't love me like she thought she had. The ring is in a box in the back of a drawer in my dresser. Her worst fear came true. So did mine.
101. No Thanksgiving
My mom was dying. It would be my last Thanksgiving with her. Without discussing it with me first, my fiancé had his mom buy him plane tickets to spend Thanksgiving with his parents and asked if I wanted to go with him. No, I am not missing the last Thanksgiving I can ever spend with my mom. We will have our whole lives to spend Thanksgiving with your family after this. You’re leaving me to face this one alone, or to abandon my mother on her last Thanksgiving?
It was suddenly very clear that he didn’t want to be in a relationship with me, but he wouldn’t break up with me because my mom was dying and he was too nice a guy to dump his fiancée when I was going through such a rough patch.
To his credit, we remained close friends and he continued to be there as my best friend and emotional support through her death, and some months following. Although it was 8 years ago, we still chat/text a few times a year, and catch up on how our families are doing.
102. Truly scary
She threatened to kill herself if I ever left her. She is alive; I made sure she got the help she needed, contacted public safety and her folks, and then cut all ties.
103. A cheap goodbye
I found out the guy was no longer working when I called to see why his paychecks hadn’t come in. (I handled the finances for us, and he kept saying his boss would be sending it.) It turned out he quit, and instead of telling me, spent the next few weeks pretending to work. Instead he started going to strip clubs on with what little money he had hoarded.
When I went to break it off with him, he punched his hand through the wall and lost his mind. By the time he finally calmed down, he had turned strangely morose. He looked at me and asked if we could have sex one last time. I told him no.
After a long pause, he sifted through his pockets and held out a dollar bill. "I’ll pay you a dollar to sleep with me. It’s all I have left."
Needless to say, he left with a dollar in his pocket and no final goodbye.
104. Can't afford to love
He was completely unable to manage money, spending every dollar he came across on gaming and substances and constantly put off paying important bills. I would be bankrupt if I had stayed with him.
105. Waiting to be asked
I moved across the world for him. He kept telling me, “One day I want to propose.” Or, “I can’t wait for you to be my wife.” That proposal never came, and I was having visa issues, so after a few years I gave up and moved back.
106. Love hurts
We had been dating for over 2 years, and engaged for about 6 months.
Then one night, she bit me twice. I slapped her once, and she called the cops.
We had been drinking (of course) and got in to an argument about something stupid, and I wanted to let it all go until the morning when we could talk about it soberly. But she was doing that thing she had been doing for a while at that point -- refusing to relent until she felt she won the argument. I was going to sleep at her apartment that night, but when she wouldn't stop arguing, I decided to get up and leave.
As I was starting to put my pants on, she tackled me in a fit of rage. Then she bit my arm so hard that she drew blood (I still have a scar). I squirmed away, but she grabbed my legs and then she bit me again, this time on my butt cheek. (I still have that scar too, only it's bigger.)
The second bite she wouldn't let go; she was gnawing at me like a dog with a chew toy. So I grabbed her hair and pulled, then slapped her.
She was shocked that I would slap her. SHOCKED. She called the cops. They showed up, saw all the blood and that I was the only one bleeding, then arrested her. I was actually kind of surprised by that, but they were reasonable.
I did not want to press charges because I was done with her, and saw no need for them at that point. Turns out the town she lived in has a domestic violence law that compels the prosecutor to file charges without needing my permission. She took a deal that put a misdeamenor on her record, and a year of probation.
About 6 weeks after this incident, I met the woman who is now my wife. This November will be our 22nd wedding anniversary. In all that time, she has never bitten me, and I have never slapped her.
107. Going the distance
We had been dating for three years. We talked constantly about getting married and what our life would be like. He went back into the military and wouldn’t commit to having a long-distance relationship with me. Because it would be “way too distracting when he’s in the field and I pop up in his mind” and he didn’t want to commit to a relationship while in the army. So we broke it off.
The real kicker is that a couple months after being away in another state, he started dating a new girl who apparently lives in the same state as me. Yikes.
108. Rude girl
She actually was quite the rude person and believed anyone who told her that acting that way was unacceptable was just trying to control her. She would always deflect and couldn't accept that people don't like blunt and rude people like her in general.
109. Ultimatums
The relationship died.
We had very different ideas of what life should be like. For example, he had said he'd break up with me if I didn't get a college education. He also gave me ultimatums (twice) about moving with him to a small town. The second time I let him carry out his ultimatum.
110. Quick recovery
After 2 years of constantly forgiving him for cheating on me, it wasn't until I needed to be hospitalized that I realized he didn't love me. When I needed him the most he told me, "I'm sorry, I can't take you being in there. It makes me too sad. Call me when you get out." So when I did, I told him I just wanted to be friends, but I had nothing against him. Literally a day after I called him and told him that, he made a post on Facebook saying he was dating some other girl.
I'm married now and really happy in my relationship. I definitely dodged a bullet.
111. Amicable split
He's an absolutely wonderful dude. He just thought I was a different person than I really was. He and I met during a very stressful point of my life, and he thought that if I quit doing all the things that made me "me," like volunteering, being a workaholic, helping my family, I'd be perfect. In the end, when the crazy subsided, I landed a job that made me the happiest ever, via the volunteering I was doing, and my family stabilized and wasn't quite as crazy as before.
We're both married to other people now, and thanks to social media I can see that he chose well and is super happy. I'm happy here, and honestly, I'm really grateful for the way it all worked out. Nothing wrong at all with him, and he deserves all the goodness in life he has.
112. One of the boys
She slept with both of my roommates at the same time in the middle of our apartment. Mutual friends walked in on them mid-coitus.
113. Save me
I asked her to marry me and she said no. It's been 7 months since then and now she's trying to get back with me saying she's made a mistake. She said I was the only voice of reason in her life and she feels so lost without me. I don't even know how to feel about that. I don't wanna be anyone's saviour.
114. Knock knock
Our relationship ended with a knock on the door in the night. It was the FBI, there to arrest my boyfriend for being a sex offender and for trading in inappropriate pictures of children online. Seriously.
115. Double lives
I met her when we were working together as military aircraft mechanics. We were only together for about 9 months before I decided to propose. I knew she was the one for me, and I felt certain that she would say yes. Instead, when I got down on one knee and offered her my ring, she told me she had something difficult to tell me -- a terrible secret.
She was already married. You see, at our work we couldn't wear rings. She hid it very well. I was the other guy the whole time.
116. Seriously skewed
I was sexually assaulted while I was in the military. My fiancé was also military. I told him what happened and he went out, had sex with another woman, FILMED IT, and showed me the film because I had "cheated on him" so he was "making it even." I ran immediately.
117. Drowning
Both of us were drinkers.
I met him at age 22, he was 26. Love at first sight. It was immediately understood without even speaking of it that we were just going to be together now, and that was that for 2.5 years.
My mom and dad were both alcoholics and it ruined my childhood. I had a drinking problem myself that I didn’t understand yet. My drinking increased when we began dating because it seemed so normal to indulge more with him. The more I drank, the more neurotic and needy I became. The more he drank, the more he just faded away from the world.
He always drank to the point of blacking out and I hated it. I would see his facial expression go kind of blank while we were out, and I’d know he was blacked out; nothing there, dead behind the eyes. And I’d wonder where the guy I loved was.
Seeing him like that would always trigger this really lonely and dark sadness inside me. I felt invisible like I did to my parents my whole childhood.
After some time of cyclical arguments (usually while both of us were under the influence) I started to realize he didn’t feel like he had an issue, and I wasn’t sure he would ever face it. I wanted to face my issues -- to win a better life and better mental health. He was not in favor of making changes.
He had socialized with the same group of guys since he was 5, all of whom partied regularly, and his dad was into it too. They were from a privileged, upper-middle class kind of circle where binging was just normal because they went to more expensive bars and only drank craft beers and whatnot. I knew if I didn’t get away from that lifestyle, I was going to end up miserable or maybe even dead.
I still fight for my sobriety every day. He just got married last month. I saw photos from the wedding, where he had a drink in his hand in every photo and the same blank expression I could never cope with. I wish him the best, and I still miss him everyday.
118. It could only go downhill from there
I ended a four-year relationship over a grilled cheese.
I'd been dating this chick since high school, tall, skinny, pretty and we always had a great time together. I fancy myself a good cook, which works out because I've never ever had a girlfriend that could cook well, knew her way around a kitchen or have basic cooking and food prep skills. Safe to say, I've never come home to a warm dinner. Must be nice.
Anyway - I never did mind being the one doing all the cooking, as it was always delicious and I had a great time doing it. Eventually however, this caused a rift - her friends would always talk about cooking for their man etc. which led her to bring it up with me... "Can I make you something?"she asked one day. I said that it might be better if we do it together so that I could show her the basics.
Great, we're at it, but she isn't taking instruction AT ALL. I MEAN SHE STARTS HACKING AWAY AT THE POTATOES AND ONIONS IN ALL DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES! I say woah woah woah, you can't do that, that's going to mess up the cooking process, some pieces will be overcooked, while others, undercooked. We have to focus on even cuts and careful prepping. "WHO CARES?" she says. *HACK *CHOP *SLICE. I explained to her that she should do things right if she wants to do things at all - which led to a fight about how everything is always "MY" way.
Months pass and she comes over in the morning just as I was about to make some delicious grilled cheese sandwiches for us. As soon as she comes in and see's what I'm doing, she asks to take over. I explicitly remind her about our fight 2 months ago. She again started to get hostile about "letting things go" and my way isn't the right way etc. I say FINE.. cook it. I let it go but can't help but monitor from afar. Cheese on bread.. butter on the bottom.. it seems to be going ok.
I say, "Make sure not to burn it." And she FLIPS. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO MICROMANAGE ME!!" Meanwhile, during this escalating row, the sandwich STILL isn't flipped or the heat STILL hasn't been reduced. The acidic stench of burning bread starts scorching my nostrils. "FLIP THE BREAD!!!" I yell.. she reacts.. and flips the sandwich over.
That was it.. HOWEVER, what she forgot was to butter THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BREAD. The half burnt, half tasteless sandwich perfectly symbolized what our relationship had become. As soon as we came to this realization - we knew it was over.
119. Super-sweet hookup
A little background: I'm overweight and have decided back in X-mas that I want to be skinny now. I've successfully cut out most junk food and soda, which I'm proud about. As most people who are trying to cut back know, this type of change doesn't happen overnight, and in general, weight-loss is not only a physical process, but also a journey that is fraught with weird mental and emotional ups-and-downs, triggered often by particular foods. For me, this is anything that's mass-produced and sealed in a clear cellophane wrapper, sold in gas-stations and suburban supermarkets. Lucky for me, I live in San Francisco, home of self-entitled douchelord yuppies like myself, who worship at the altar of organic and fresh produce. Of course, I fantasize often about inhaling pizza and corndogs in a dark room while binge watching E!. I'm a bonafide former-fat kid trapped in a present fat-kid's body.
Through a friend I met a nice gentleman who is also "husky". For our 1st and 2nd date, he took me to places that served chicken-fried steak and caramelized pork-belly. These, admittedly, are huge indulgences for me. I know they're bad but they were so tasty. Plus, I'm pretty desperate, and figured if we actually start dating-dating, I can always try to be the couple that eat salads together.
As these things go, after a couple of dates, I went over to his place and we hooked up. That part was okay but my goodness, if he wasn't the sweetest of sweethearts afterwards: we cuddled, he got me an ice-cold unopened bottled water. He even brought my phone in from the living room, and asked if he can set me up with an appropriate charging cable while I spend the night. At this point I'm thinking, okay, let's just get married cuz this guy is a champ.
He disappeared again after setting me up with a power cable. A couple minutes later and he crawled back in the bed and this is where it went south.
I smelled it first: that saccharine waft of high fructose corn syrup with a heavy schmear of hydrogenated vegetable oil. The smacking of his lips rang loudly, echoing through his bachelor chamber. By the dim light filtering through the blinds, I see the silhouette of a soda bottle tipped against his pursed lips, carefully poured down his gullet. The humanity.
"W..wh..what is that." I asked, careful to not betray my horror.
"Oh! It's a Zinger!" He answered enthusiastically, crinkling the cellophane wrapper. "It's like a Twinkie, but with frosting on top. Here, try one." He offered with innocent generosity.
I'm not gonna lie, I felt cornered like a hunted fawn. Here I am, naked, post-coital, and full of hormones compelling me to bond with this guy so we can be future co-parents together. I can feel myself overreacting, and yet there's no breathing exercise I can do to stop the way I feel. I'm awash in disgust.
I placed the tip of the Zinger (just the tip, ha!) into my mouth, and immediately regretted it as self-hatred consumed me. I actually flinched as I chewed through. It was just as I had suspected: cloyingly sweet, with a dry unnatural texture. Oh and the frosting had the mouth feel of soapscum. Every cell in my body screamed. I wanted to shove my fingers down my throat to undo what I just did. Involuntarily, my brain had cued up a string of fat jokes.
"Want some Vanilla Pepsi to wash it down?" He asked after taking a swig, no irony or even awareness in his voice. Not that diet soda is better but did he really just commit to a non-diet soda right before going to bed?
"No I'm good." I said with measured casualness. He set the the soda on the nightstand, then leaned over and frenched me. I mentally made a note to schedule a dentist check-up ASAP. He then rolled back to his side of the bed, and started eating the third and final Zinger.
"Where did you even find this?" I asked, feigning curiosity to cover up my growing horror.
"7-Eleven." He answered, gleeful. I hadn't even known that there is a 7-Eleven in San Francisco proper, being the organic hippie mecca that it is. It was all I could do to keep myself from screaming "WHY ARE YOU EATING THIS? HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT DIABETES? ACTUAL PEOPLE HAVE LOST ACTUAL FEET OVER THIS. FOR REAL. IF YOU'RE GONNA SNACK AFTER SEX AT LEAST MAKE IT SOMETHING AMAZING AND NOT SOME 7-ELEVEN BACKSTOCK!!!"
I wish I had said all of that and zoomed out on a galloping gaggle of soapboxes. But I didn't want to be mean – I mean, the post-coital bed should technically be a no-judgement zone. He has been incredibly nice and he didn't deserve to be judged the way I'm silently judging him. I didn't want to traumatize the guy while he's naked, wallowing in a Zinger and Vanilla Pepsi induced bliss.
So instead, I stared into the darkness as he finished his 4 a.m. snack and kissed me goodnight. "If we wake up early enough we can get breakfast." He promised.
Long into the night I stared, freaking out silently. After he fell asleep I slipped out of the bed and got dressed. When I went to say a quick goodbye he said "c'mon, don't go. Just lay here for a second." I did, and ended up passing out after all. I still adore Mr. Chubster but I know we'll never be co-parents together. Not as long as he keeps on offering me Zingers in bed.
120. A little TOO curious
I have two children from a previous marriage, and we have one child together. I went home (another country) to see my eldest son graduate. My spouse, who bitterly hated it when I traveled and he couldn't go, urged me to "take some time, see your friends." Historically it had been anger before I left, anger when I was gone, and anger when I got home. He had been unemployed for nine years and was totally dependent on me. He wanted for nothing: every new toy, new computer, new car, new laptop, and all the new games, which he spent hours mastering. It was a pleasant surprise to be offered a bit of time with no guilt. He seemed interested in my son's graduation: the day, the time, and I honestly thought nothing of it. It felt good.
On the day my son graduated, as we were standing outside for the pictures, my ex texted me from 1,700 miles away: "I want a divorce." I was a zombie. Posing for pictures, mentally re-arranging travel plans to be completed as soon as my son's celebratory party was done. I return home and the house had been ransacked: furniture, books, etc., missing. It looked like a tornado had gone through the living room. No note. No address. Nothing.
121. The most spiteful breakup of all time
I work for an airline and I heard that this guy I work with found out that his girlfriend was cheating on him. He told her that he wanted to go on vacation and they flew to Japan. They checked into the hotel, then he waited for her to fall asleep and went back to the airport cancelled her ability to use his discount and then flew back. Leaving her stranded in Tokyo with no money.
