Hey everyone, I'm going to do my best to explain my situation.
I was dating my now ex girlfriend for 4 years. We were great in the beginning, very much in love like most couples are. We would eventually start having fights like most couples do. We would apologize and say were sorry, hug and make up. Over the last few months, we have not been able to keep our fighting under control. I am finishing up university and she just finished and started a new job teaching. Its hard to understand why we kept fighting because we both love each other, we both know we do and near the end, we were talking about the next step as in marriage, when to have kids and all that. Now, I've never had a solid relationship like this before, the longest relationship I had previously was 3 years with a girl that I liked ALOT, but I never felt like I loved her or had a future with her.
I need to explain some back story for you guys to maybe understand this better.
Sometime around june-august last year, we had found out she was pregnant (with me) and we had a long discussion about what to do. Personally I was ready to have that baby with her, I was happy when we found out. She was too. But we both realized we didn't have a house yet and she just started her new job so financially we weren't ready. Around this time we weren't fighting at all. We decided to have an abortion, I made sure that it was 100% her decision so she wasn't forced. I don't know how women get after abortions but all I know is that it emotionally wrecks them. I was there during the abortion holding her hand, she was crying, almost made me cry just to see how painful and discomforting it was to her. A few weeks pass and I am trying my best as a dumb man to comfort and be there for my girlfriend. A few months pass and she is getting closer to starting her new job. She had expressed she was really nervous and stressed out about the new job. A few weeks pass and now we are back into fighting, I feel we were both stressed out and just could not take the little time to appreciate each other the way we used to.
Fast forward to last week, we were still arguing time to time about senseless things, both caught up in the moment and always said the wrong things. When you argue, you tend to try to be right and avoid being wrong, I now understand that this pushes the other person to argue and resist you more because they don't want to be blamed. She tells me that she holds those few months after the abortion against me because I had stopped being supportive and it was worse because the stress of a new job and dealing with the abortion took a toll on her. I didn't know it got that bad, I know she told me it was bad during but I was so clueless that I would deny it to myself and we would get into arguments about that! As a man, I have issues with confronting and owning up to my mistakes because I feel so ashamed and embarrassed I let my girlfriend down. I realize this now.
I grew up in a family where sitting down and discussing our feelings is really non-existent. When my parents fight, nothing is resolved; each one believes that the other is right. I have an explosive temper, my sisters have it as well. My sister actually explained to me that we are the way we are because we have become a product of our environment. My father is an angry man and has been this way for as long as I can remember. A soldier suffering from PTSD from the vietnam war. But I am not using this as an excuse, but a window to shed some light on why I am the way I am and how I have a hard time figuring out why up until recently. I am not good at expressing my feelings, when I feel we get into arguments, I lash out in fear because I don't want to be wrong or I don't want to admit to my mistakes so I argue back even harder. I know she is the same way, she does not like to be blamed and sometimes I do blame her when there is no reason to, I am just trying to be " right ". I know it takes 2 to fight, but at the same time I know that she doesn't like to fight and most times, I do instigate the fights.
Last week, we had been quite distant from each other, she wouldn't say much. On Thursday we had a talk, she didn't know what to do, I told her we should keep trying and that I love her, she questioned why we should keep trying because she is afraid that our fighting controls our relationship and that we can't escape the cycle. I didn't have the words or any kind of explanation that I am telling you guys right now. I just told her, please lets not make a rash decision and lets just talk. She cried, she kept asking, "but what if we just get back together like the other times before, were good for a while and then I get my hopes high that were doing good and then we fight and my hopes get dropped down, I can't do that anymore". I didn't know what to say, we had always said the same semi-empty promises after break ups about fixing our fights, but never understood each other. She said she loves me, she said she wants it to work and that she doesn't know what to do. I pushed her again to stay and talk and she looked like she was at conflict within herself for a few moments, then she stopped talking and only said " i cant " over and over about 100 times. Whatever I said, she replied with " I can't" and nothing else. She cried and then stormed off and I haven't talked to her since.
I sign in on facebook on saturday and notice she turned our relationship status to nothing. I know this is trivial, but it hit me very hard as she always does that when we break up. But this time it felt worse, maybe I hadn't realized how bad it got. Her pictures of us are still up, her profile picture is still of us. I try not to use facebook as an indicator of how she is feeling, but that is the only communication I have to measure with. I am not a smart man, I turn to friends that have been married for almost 10 years and ask them for advice. They tell me to not communicate with her, write a letter and explain to her some of the stuff I said here about my family, how I was raised, how I have a problem expressing my feelings and that I lash out in fear, how I feel weak and lose my masculinity when I become vulnerable in front of her. The letter explains much more. I kept it a page long. The letter is not a "plead" to return to me or begging of any kind, but its to give her some insight on what has been going on in my mind for years that I could never express to her. It is embarrassing to tell her that my family hides how they are from her when she is around. How I have an issue with confronting my mistakes because of fear and shame. I wrote this in hopes that it may save our relationship as I believe there is a string of hope left.
The other day, a friend told me he was on facebook pretty much from 8am to 9pm just chatting. He said he saw her sign in on facebook for a minute or two over 130x times throughout the day and believes she was checking on me, seeing if I had posted something or messaged her. I asked him, why would she do this? His theory is that whenever we broke up in the past, I would immediately try to contact her and try to convince her to come back. That when I did this, it came off as a "reaction" to the break up and that it was just fear that was fueling me to do this, not love or sincerity. That this time I need to give her some time to cool off, and do NOT contact her so that the cycle is broken, that I am not just reacting anymore, because that is what I have been doing during break ups. I realize now that even though 4 years of breaks ups, I haven't been able to come to terms with my own demons. But now I have seen what drives me to do the things I have done.
The letter explains this. I also try to list my faults but also my good traits as I am not a terrible person. That I can't promise a future without fighting, but I can promise her that I want to move forward with her ( in a way where if we do fight, we understand each other and its a fight where we can resolve and there is no bitterness or grudges ). I didn't exactly say that because I didn't want to make her relive the experiences, so I'm hoping saying "move forward" was good enough. Here, this is the exact line I used,
"I dont know what the future holds and I cant promise that there wont be arguments again. But I am determined to move forward with you and I do know that there is a potential for greatness for us, and that is a "what if" i am not willing to turn my back to. "What if we argue again?? BUT.."what if we are great together??"
The last line I write suggests that on friday this week, I will be at this coffee shop near her place at 7pm, i will be there for an hour. if she shows up, that is great. if she doesn't. then i understand ( and in my own way, this is my closure )
I picked 7pm because she gets off at work in between 3:50pm and 4:30pm. it takes her about 20-25 min to drive home, so thats around 5pm, then theres rush hour till near 6pm. I think 7pm works because it gives her time to wind down after work and she isn't rushed to go meet me, IF that is her decision to even meet me. I know I need to hold back a bit because there is a good chance she won't.
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I had tried to make the letter come off as answers to who i am and not a list of im sorries and this happens because this and the blame game, so she cannot read it and and ask herself "why didnt he do this before or whatever". There are a few risks though, she could read this letter and contact me and say she can't on friday because of... and that is where ill have to judge her reasons. If she says shes doing family stuff, okay. but if shes going out with her friends or whatever, I am afraid i'll take it the wrong way as i believe a 4 year relationship is a priority over going out with friends, IF she is serious about us.
I figure, after 4 years, 8-9 days is long enough to decide if you want to spend the rest of your life with someone that you were previously talking about marriage with. That if she really wants to be with me, she will put everything aside for Friday night. the harsh reality is that she can easily not show up, she can contact me earlier this week and just say, no i cant.
I know i can be insensitive at times but i am a huge sensitive guy, the slightest things hurt me. this is a huge gamble as she had already broken up with me and i could be just setting myself up for a worse and longer grievance period.
Well friends, I tried not to sound like a crazy guy, but what do you think?