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Bridges of Madison County_What if?

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  • #99045
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear Nan:

    Are you saying that those cruises and exciting life of the first half of your marriage to R-2 were financed by money that he had earned or had, not yours (since you keep independent records of finances)?

    During the first part of your marriage to R-2, the exciting and fun part, how did you feel about him? How did you view him? How were the interactions/ the dance? Did it change in the second half, following his bankruptcy?

    anita

    #99077
    Nan
    Participant

    He had money in the beginning and a successful business. He paid for most things and I paid for my personal stuff like clothes, and items like furniture and household stuff I wanted. I also had new cars and paid my payments and insurances on that. At the time, he was about 60% and I was 40% of the total income. I decided to get married, as I had been with him for 3 years and married at 26 years of age. That was 6 years after the divorce from R-1. I had many boyfriends over the years and was with him exclusively for the last 3 years. Everyone around me was married and I said it was time. What was I waiting for? So, I did, and paid for my own wedding. As my mother ( remember her?) said, ” You pick from the same cesspool, don’t you?” Remember that R-1 and R-2 had been friends before my first marriage. They lived in same town across the bridge from my town, so that was her assessment. I got married because I felt there was no future prospects and that was the best I could do. He was exciting and had so many friends and places to go, that I could just go along and have the disco party life I wanted then. He was more lighthearted and still whined, but much less and I used to laugh it off. He didn’t have much to whine about, as money and time and entertainment were never an issue. He was like a pal and fellow adventurer.
    Once the money woes, hit, he became sour, cynical and depressed. He sat on the couch for 1 1/2 years and I took over all expenses. I thought it would be temporary, but it appears he is like Eeyore the donkey ( Winnie the Pooh). Everything wrong, everything bad, whine, whine, for years. I used to laugh about it, but it eventually wore me down. That was about 15 years ago since we moved to another state. No more friends or family, just him, me and kid……I was treading water and going under at times. When I used to suggest he was so negative and it was hard, he would just say that is the way he is.
    Now, after the discovery of the R-1 connection, he doesn’t say that anymore. But I don’t complain anymore, as I think that is his personality and any fixes are temporary and too late in my eyes…….It only took about 5 months for him to revert to his old ways. Once he thought the threat of someone else was behind. him. That was about 20 months ago when the R-1 connection was discovered. I stated it was just a text and calling fling as an old flirtation and nothing more. I stated I wasnt in contact anymore. He believed it and corrected himself for the 5 months. And then back to his usual negativity.

    #99088
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Dear nan:

    Thirty five years is a long time, so of course, there is a lot of history in so many years. Disco party life and 30 cruises is certainly a diversion from… what there is now, that disco is over and you’ve been treading water for so long. At least it was fun at the time, the diversions, the Saturday Night Fevers… Hey, lots of people live most of their lives distracting themselves. And so your distraction based life is over.

    The feelings you have for R-2 are still a mystery to me: being afraid of him on one hand (My only understanding of it is that you must have been scared of your then mother’s rage and you carry that fear with you), and seeing him and treating him like a spoiled pouting child on the other hand. It is a mystery to me why you still try to please him, to make him happy (Maybe to prevent his rage, what you always fear under the surface…)?

    All in all, I think fear dominates you and is the reason why you are still with R-2. Remember you left R-1 a note when you left him? Afraid of the confrontation…? If you confronted R-1 about leaving him, instead of the note, maybe there wouldn’t be all that … terrible misunderstanding, his fears of being arrested if he contacted you… and you wouldn’t have thought he didn’t care and so forth.

    And you’ve been thinking about leaving a note with R-2 as well, instead of confronting him about leaving him.

    So, fear. Which is the theme of Bridges of Madison County. It was fear that kept Francesca in her marriage. It was fear that kept her in that truck when her hand was squeezing that handle.

    I would like you, Nan, to face your own fear, to stand tall and stand, stand for yourself, for you. Risk the rage you are so scared of. If it was your mother’s rage that is still scaring you: R-2’s rage is not going to be like your mother’s. You are not that child anymore.

    Till your next post… take care!

    anita

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