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drowned like little dolphins caught in a fishnet.
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005 03:44 amThe end of a relationship is the end of promises.
Day to day life is full of promises, spoken & un: 'I'll get the trash later', "Sure, I'll wash the dishes", "I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow". A note on the refrigerator reminding you to call someone back is a promise, as is the schedule your boss gives you when you work retail.
Lying in someone's arms as you drift off to sleep is a promise. Hugging someone goodbye is a promise. Loving someone is a promise, damnit, and so were all the words that added up over the days, months, years: "I'll see you later"; "yes, I want kids"; "Let's move in together"; "I'll see you soon. I promise."
And so the end of a relationship is admitting that when you said "I'll always love you", it was with an implicit until I don't. And now you love 'em, now you don't.
The end of a relationship is divorce after "'til death do you part". It is saying "as long as our love shall last", instead.
Of the two paths a break-up can take, I may have a slight preference for angry versus amicable. In the long run, angry is easier.
Breaking up angry is clean. You hate the bastard, you never want to see them again. You don't return the miscellaneous CDs, sweaters, and letters that they were stupid enough to leave behind—you burn them in a ritual that involves two of your closest girlfriends.
Breaking up amicably is exchanging forwarding addresses. Breaking up amicably is knowing that you're allowed to drop them a line, see how they're doing, and that doing so will set back your grieving for the relationship a good two weeks.
Breaking up amicably is meaning it when you say Let's be friends, and then regretting it later.
Breaking up amicably is an autopsy that reveals there was no cancer after all. If there was no cancer, why did you die?
If you don't hate me, why did you leave me?
And do I, should I even care?
Day to day life is full of promises, spoken & un: 'I'll get the trash later', "Sure, I'll wash the dishes", "I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow". A note on the refrigerator reminding you to call someone back is a promise, as is the schedule your boss gives you when you work retail.
Lying in someone's arms as you drift off to sleep is a promise. Hugging someone goodbye is a promise. Loving someone is a promise, damnit, and so were all the words that added up over the days, months, years: "I'll see you later"; "yes, I want kids"; "Let's move in together"; "I'll see you soon. I promise."
And so the end of a relationship is admitting that when you said "I'll always love you", it was with an implicit until I don't. And now you love 'em, now you don't.
The end of a relationship is divorce after "'til death do you part". It is saying "as long as our love shall last", instead.
Of the two paths a break-up can take, I may have a slight preference for angry versus amicable. In the long run, angry is easier.
Breaking up angry is clean. You hate the bastard, you never want to see them again. You don't return the miscellaneous CDs, sweaters, and letters that they were stupid enough to leave behind—you burn them in a ritual that involves two of your closest girlfriends.
Breaking up amicably is exchanging forwarding addresses. Breaking up amicably is knowing that you're allowed to drop them a line, see how they're doing, and that doing so will set back your grieving for the relationship a good two weeks.
Breaking up amicably is meaning it when you say Let's be friends, and then regretting it later.
Breaking up amicably is an autopsy that reveals there was no cancer after all. If there was no cancer, why did you die?
If you don't hate me, why did you leave me?
And do I, should I even care?
