i don't understand this man

by firefly 12 Replies latest social relationships

  • firefly
    firefly

    this is my first time on this forum, but i need some input on a really confusing situation and i thought that this would be the best place to get it. this is a long story, but there is much that needs to be explained and i really need to get this off my chest.

    in Dec. of 2005 i was a regular at an 80's dance club. i would go there on weekends not to meet or go home with anyone, but just to hang out with friends and dance (dancing is among my favorite of hobbies). one night a young man came in and seemed to take almost immediate notice of me. we made small talk but that was as far as it went. the very next night he came back hoping i would be there. again we talked but nothing else. the next week he was back again and i jokingly told him that if he came back the next night i would have to give him my number. well sure enough he was there the following evening looking for me. it was new years eve. he told me that he didn't celebrate new years (at that time i didn't know why) but really wanted my number and so i gave it to him. we talked for a while after the club closed and realized that we were both in a very unique situation. we were both seperated from our spouses but still living with them as roomates, me for financial reasons and he because of his young son. he told me that he was born and raised as a JW and that was how he met his wife. she was a sister in his congregation. she was 8 years older than him and he married her feeling that was what he was supposed to do. they had been married 12 years and had never really been emotionally close to each other and over the years she had grown cold toward him. well probably against my better judgement we started dating. it didn't take long for the relationship to become serious and for us to fall in love. he treated me like a queen and made love to me in a way that i had only ever imagined. we started spending more and more time together and he started talking marriage. according to him i was everything that he ever wanted. something however was not right. he had met my family and spent time getting to know them. he had become a part of my world. on the other hand i felt that he had two seperate lives. one that involved me and one that i was no part of. i never met any of his family other than one of his brothers. after 9 months he started to get more distant and seemed to pull away. although he told me that it was the hardest thing he'd ever have to do he broke up with me. he said that even though he loved me and wanted me, he to be a better father to his son and get back in good standing in his congregation. i was heartbroken but knew i had to let him go. 2 months later he started coming around the club again. he had missed me and wanted to spend time with me. he wanted to divorce to be free to be with me but didn't want to ask me to wait for him. after 3 more months with me his wife decided to file for divorce on the grounds of infidelity. suddenly he felt that he needed to try to do the right thing and save his marriage. he wanted to do right in Gods eyes and be a positive image for his son. again my heart was broken. 3 months passed during which we spoke on occasion but didn't see each other. in April he surprised me by coming to the club to see me. he and his wife were unable to reconcile and divorce proceedings were to start at the end of April. he was confused and was afraid of the change about to take place. He started talking about how he knew that it was not right to be with me but that i made him want me which was very hard for him. he talked about the paradise on earth that he wanted to see and that he would have to make himself get over me. i didn't see him again until mid June at which time he dropped a bomb on me. He had moved into his own place at the end of April when the Divorce started and by mid May he had fallen in love with his best female friend that he had only ever thought of as a sister and was dating her (she, like me is not a JW). he told me that it had taken him by surprise but that he was very happy. he also told me that he didn't think that he and i could be friends because i still had feelings for him and since he had a girlfriend thought it would be best for us to not contact each other anymore. i was left in a total state of shock and became an emotional wreck to the point of having to be put on antidepressants. I had loved him so much. i guess what i want to know is why, knowing the guilt he felt being with a "worldly" girl like me and knowing the pain and heartache that i went through, would he less than a month into his divorce start seeing another "worldly" girl and talking about how in love and happy he is with her knowing that being with her is against all of his beliefs? Does he not care that he is going to cause another woman heartache and pain? She is a young single mother of a 6 year old girl and i know that she won't convert to being a witness. Why would he play with other peoples emotions that way, loving someone so much and then suddenly not loving them anymore? When i first started seeing him i told a friend of mine about him being a witness. my friend told me point blank to get out quick! i wish now that i had listened.

    I know that this was a long story and i thank any of you who made it through to the end of it. i feel a bit better just typing it all down. i just need help in trying to understand. any insight i get is greatly appreciated.

  • exwitless
    exwitless

    this is my first time on this forum, but i need some input on a really confusing situation and i thought that this would be the best place to get it. this is a long story, but there is much that needs to be explained and i really need to get this off my chest.

    in Dec. of 2005 i was a regular at an 80's dance club. i would go there on weekends not to meet or go home with anyone, but just to hang out with friends and dance (dancing is among my favorite of hobbies). one night a young man came in and seemed to take almost immediate notice of me. we made small talk but that was as far as it went. the very next night he came back hoping i would be there. again we talked but nothing else. the next week he was back again and i jokingly told him that if he came back the next night i would have to give him my number. well sure enough he was there the following evening looking for me. it was new years eve. he told me that he didn't celebrate new years (at that time i didn't know why) but really wanted my number and so i gave it to him. we talked for a while after the club closed and realized that we were both in a very unique situation.

    we were both seperated from our spouses but still living with them as roomates, me for financial reasons and he because of his young son. he told me that he was born and raised as a JW and that was how he met his wife. she was a sister in his congregation. she was 8 years older than him and he married her feeling that was what he was supposed to do. they had been married 12 years and had never really been emotionally close to each other and over the years she had grown cold toward him. well probably against my better judgement we started dating. it didn't take long for the relationship to become serious and for us to fall in love. he treated me like a queen and made love to me in a way that i had only ever imagined. we started spending more and more time together and he started talking marriage.

    according to him i was everything that he ever wanted. something however was not right. he had met my family and spent time getting to know them. he had become a part of my world. on the other hand i felt that he had two seperate lives. one that involved me and one that i was no part of. i never met any of his family other than one of his brothers. after 9 months he started to get more distant and seemed to pull away. although he told me that it was the hardest thing he'd ever have to do he broke up with me. he said that even though he loved me and wanted me, he to be a better father to his son and get back in good standing in his congregation. i was heartbroken but knew i had to let him go.

    2 months later he started coming around the club again. he had missed me and wanted to spend time with me. he wanted to divorce to be free to be with me but didn't want to ask me to wait for him. after 3 more months with me his wife decided to file for divorce on the grounds of infidelity. suddenly he felt that he needed to try to do the right thing and save his marriage. he wanted to do right in Gods eyes and be a positive image for his son. again my heart was broken. 3 months passed during which we spoke on occasion but didn't see each other. in April he surprised me by coming to the club to see me. he and his wife were unable to reconcile and divorce proceedings were to start at the end of April. he was confused and was afraid of the change about to take place. He started talking about how he knew that it was not right to be with me but that i made him want me which was very hard for him. he talked about the paradise on earth that he wanted to see and that he would have to make himself get over me.

    i didn't see him again until mid June at which time he dropped a bomb on me. He had moved into his own place at the end of April when the Divorce started and by mid May he had fallen in love with his best female friend that he had only ever thought of as a sister and was dating her (she, like me is not a JW). he told me that it had taken him by surprise but that he was very happy. he also told me that he didn't think that he and i could be friends because i still had feelings for him and since he had a girlfriend thought it would be best for us to not contact each other anymore. i was left in a total state of shock and became an emotional wreck to the point of having to be put on antidepressants.

    I had loved him so much. i guess what i want to know is why, knowing the guilt he felt being with a "worldly" girl like me and knowing the pain and heartache that i went through, would he less than a month into his divorce start seeing another "worldly" girl and talking about how in love and happy he is with her knowing that being with her is against all of his beliefs? Does he not care that he is going to cause another woman heartache and pain? She is a young single mother of a 6 year old girl and i know that she won't convert to being a witness. Why would he play with other peoples emotions that way, loving someone so much and then suddenly not loving them anymore? When i first started seeing him i told a friend of mine about him being a witness. my friend told me point blank to get out quick! i wish now that i had listened.

    I know that this was a long story and i thank any of you who made it through to the end of it. i feel a bit better just typing it all down. i just need help in trying to understand. any insight i get is greatly appreciated.

    There - now I can read this. (Punctuation and paragraphs are immensely appreciated, especially on such a long post.) By the way, welcome to the forum.

  • firefly
    firefly

    sorry about that. i was trying so hard to get out everything i wanted to say that i wasn't even thinking about my formatting.

  • free2think
    free2think

    First of all Welcome to jwd Firefly.

    From what you've said he sounds like a real jerk, sorry he treated you so badly.

  • flipper
    flipper

    Firefly- Mr. Flipper here. First of all, I would like to say how very sorry I am to hear you were emotionally taken advantage of like that. Having been raised around the witnesses and having got out 4 years ago at age 44 I will try to give you some insight into this pardon my english (creeps) mind.

    First of all he was living a double life, trying to get the best of both worlds. He was not only using you , but using his wife as well. For some of these witnesses, they go through such a yo-yo syndrome of emotions because of what the religion keeps threatening them with in their beliefs. The reason this guy kept going back and forth to you and was unable to make his mind up was out of fear of what they call " Armageddon " where they are taught if they break God's laws they will be destroyed forever. So that is why he kept talking with you about an " alleged" paradise, because they are taught if they are faithful, God will preserve them into a paradise earth to live peacefully, happily forever. I know it's far fetched, but that's what they believe! So your guy could not make his mind up I think between choosing you or going back to the religion. And when it went too far out of his control, with wifey filing for divorce on him, he thought, oh well! hell!, I've blown it anyway , I'm gonna die at Armageddon, so I might as well play the field and have fun! Callous I know, but this religion makes them that way.

    Also, please understand the difference between love and lust.You might have really loved him, but he was not honest about his true feelings for you. If he had really loved you he would not have hurt you like that. He was feeling lust, not love. Thus his confusing feelings also. Now he is primed to go on hurting the next lady he is with, then the next, and so forth. So even though it hurts for now, I would cut your losses, get over him in time. You sound like a nice lady and I'm sure you will meet a real decent man who will treat you with the honor and respect you deserve. There are still some of us out here. Hey, my wife found me a year and a half ago. But believe me, I dated some ladies who were like your guy you describe too. It happens in both sexes. please hang in there, the sun will rise each day. Each day will give you a chance to heal a little bit more, till you are ready to open your heart again to a good man. Peace to you my friend, Mr. Flipper

  • firefly
    firefly

    thank you so much Mr. Flipper (i love the picture by the way). your reply made me cry. i'm so glad to know that i didn't do anything wrong. i was so good to him and thought he really loved me. i'm going to concentrate on healing myself emotionally before i think of dating again (i wouldn't want to risk anyone being a rebound for me). My now ex-husband has been a real support for me as have my friends. God bless you for helping me understand.

  • IP_SEC
    IP_SEC

    sorry firefly. These things rarely go well.

  • anewme
    anewme

    Firefly, I too feel very sorry for you on one hand, but also glad for you that the man is out of your life.
    He is really damaged. From his youth he has not been allowed to be honest. Honesty will get you dfd in that cult. One cannot be honest with mom, dad, brother or sister or wife. It is no wonder he could not be honest with you. It seems unlikely he will be honest with his new girlfriend.

    Poor thing.


    Well, you cannot undo the damage of a lifetime spent in that unloving weird cult.
    Better for you to lick your wounds and ready yourself for a new loving man.

    Thankyou for sharing your heartfelt story with us. It only adds to the heap of sadness the Watchtower Cult is responsible for.



  • moshe
    moshe

    For next time:

    Rule #1 - don't date married men

    Rule #2- most people don't buy the first used car they test drive

  • cognizant dissident
    cognizant dissident

    Welcome firefly!

    Even if this guy wasn't a JW, without the fear of dying at Armageddon, and losing his salvation and his son forever, this would still probably not have worked out. When you are dating a married man, (even though his heart wasn't in his marriage, he was still married and living with his family) you are dating a man who is not free to commit fully to you because he still has entanglements elsewhere, even if they are just financial and practical. Men often go right into new relationships during or immediately after a divorce. Their egos have also suffered a blow and they are just as afraid of ending up alone as women are. So their judgement is not always the best. I have read that most of these rebound relationships do not work out in the long term. They help the man get over his divorce and when he has got his confidence and common sense back, he ends up moving on and finding someone more compatible. I'm sure there are exceptions and I don't have any hard statistics to back this up, but my casual observations lead me to believe there is some truth in that.

    Cog

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