Robert Walper wrote:I can't say the above experience applies to me honestly. I got hurt, and very angry, although the anger was at myself for being vunerable. Since then, I made an intense effort to not think about the girl or immediately suppressed any desire to see or speak with her again. Seems to have worked quite well. I now focus my energies elsewhere rather than attempts at relationships with womem.
Well it's a little bit more complicated:
(1) First, it was never clear whether she loved me or not. One thing for sure; she really want to be loved by me; she actually desired my love; but whether she really loved me in return is questionable.. I didn't know whether she actually love me, I still don't know, and perhaps I never will.
(no offense Rob, but at least in your case it's already clear that she doesn't love you)
(2) Josh told me that she loved me,
but not as a person; she merely 'loved' me for what I have been doing for her, for her own selfish desire. In fact, she can never truly love
anyone, for a reason I really can't say.
(3) But then, that's why I can't help but keep on wondering.
If, somehow, she find strength to reform herself (so then she'll be able to truly love someone, among other things),
will she then love me? Or she won't love me anyway?
(4) During early phases of our relationship (when we were friends. Actually it was I who put her on 'friendship zone'.... Until I realized that I really fall in love with her, but it's too late), she showed willingness to reform herself, AND made gestures that she loved me. Actually it was a very blatant gesture; she made it clear that she would only reform if I love her and marry her. Well I did refuse her 'offer', not only because I haven't realized that I actually loved her, but I expected her to reform by herself; by her own strength.
And she did try to reform herself without I marry her, and she was almost succeed! Well at least for a short time. But for those brief times when she was a better person, she again expressed her feelings on me. It was her who actually approached me, but then I was cold as a fish.
And shortly after, she re-lapsed back to her 'evil' persona. We separated, but then I realized that I actually fell in love with her. Deeply.
Then later she came back to me, broken, and being screwed by another guy. I really can't tell you the detail but she apologized. I, having realized my love for her, offered her my world on a platter; ergo, a marriage. She accepted, and promised to reform herself.
So we lived together while she reformed herself, but it was more difficult than the last time. Worse, I was paranoid myself, questioning whether she still loved me after being broken by that guy. It was not an easy ride. But then she kept telling me that she loved me.
Eventually, we have a big fight after I asked her did she really love me, or just chose me merely because I'm "the right guy"? She exploded and went mad, then she re-lapsed and left me, moving back to her parent's house.
Afterwars, we tried to make amend, but I was mad as well; not to mention rational people keep telling me that she's already beyond repair. So I rejected her last 'peace gesture' and accused her of lying to me all the time; merely pretending to love me, while in fact she never loved me anyway. She was then really offended and cursing me; saying that if she actually love me (so my accusation was false), may God put His wrath upon me.
(Yes it may sound ridiculous, but it is costumary among Indonesian people to bring God's wrath into equation when they're angered by false accusation, regardless whether the person who's saying it is actually religious or not. Imagine an atheist saying 'Jesus Christ!' and you got the picture.)
(5) It happened during early August 2004, and despite the fact that it was I who technically dumped her, I was really broken down. I was emotionally wrecked. Totally. But then, I did exactly what you did, Rob. I channeled my energy elsewhere, trying to sink myself in my hobbies and such (ebaying, legacy hardware, STGOD, and others). Of course, I did stupid things like having affair with a married woman, but generally things were going well. Not to mention that Josh helped me greatly with his advice (thanks buddy!).
(6) It is more than a year now, and
it seems I have been healing myself. Sometimes the bitter memory came out, but generally things are going well. I dated some chicks and although there were nothing serious, I enjoyed their company. I just tried to indulge myself as much as possible and it seemed to work, and those bitterness are fading away....
(7) .....or are they? Well here's the bomb; recently I browsed friendster.... and stumbled into my ex! Well actually it wasn't her profile (she never bothers with internet); it was her sister's. But then, there is a photograph of her on her sister's profile.
I don't know why, I have no idea why, but just seeing her picture actually brought back all those memories again. Mind you, there were times when she appeared to seriously reform herself, not to mention we were so close during our friendship (almost like lovers).
Not to mention, during our period of living together, there
were times when she actually showed her love on me.
I was surprised myself how merely seeing her picture can stir such considerable amount of emotion inside me. It seemed I realized how I've been missing her the whole year, how I've been actually longing to be with her again, how I miss the moment when she was 'good', how stupid I am for NOT realizing that she actually struggled to reform herself (although failed miserably) when we lived together.
Then the doubt came again; at least she made some efforts to reform herself, wasn't it actually signs that she actually love me? But then again, maybe, I said maybe, she did love her back then, but does she still love me
now?
I don't know. Don't ask me why, but I find myself wishing that she'll find strength to reform herself once and for all.
But then again, even if she made it, it doesn't mean that she still loves me. In fact, she can be a totally healed person, but doesn't love me anymore because she simply finds someone else. Thus, it can still mean pain to me. But I don't know. Call me idiot, call me hopelessly romantic, but I find myself wishing she would get well no matter what.
I just feel again all the tenderness I've felt for her, with all the accompanying pain, greater than ever. It just erupted like a volcano when I saw her picture.
I don't know why, I really don't know why. It's just a goddamn picture of her.
Millions of people in friendster, and I had to stumble into her pic. It ain't fair. Just when I think I can forget about her. It ain't just fair.
EDIT: when I said 'reform', it's not about religion or such. It is about something else. Something really needs a great effort and willpower to overcome.