“You’ll Grow Old Alone!” – Words I Heard from a Man

I met Alan a year ago. He pledged his loyalty and devotion to me, assuring me that his feelings for me were real. Honestly, we seemed to have so much in common. Wed both been through miserable marriages, lost and in need of comfort and understanding. I really believed we had found that in each other. But it turned out he was nothing but a leech, using me for his own benefit in every possible way.

My friends warned me not to rush things and to think twice before letting him move in. But I didnt listen to anyone. I wasnt even shocked that, at thirty, he didnt have a steady job. In fact, he was practically homeless. He couldnt even drive a car. I was blinded by romance, thinking like a lovestruck teenager instead of seeing things for what they were.

The spell broke the night he didnt come home, and the next morning I realised my money was missing, too. Thats when reality slapped me in the face.

Id even tried to help him find a job. He ate my food, lived under my roof. I bought him clothes. Wed visited places hed never beenmore restaurants and shopping centres than he could imagineand each time, he behaved himself. He even managed to charm my family and friends; he never argued, never raised his voice. I wanted so much to believe hed change, that hed pull himself together.

But I was utterly mistaken. My patience was in tatters. I had no choice but to throw him out. Even then, he wasnt meek; he fully intended to walk off with the mobile phone Id given him. I put my foot down, told him straight: he could only take what hed brought with him.

Did I feel humiliated? Absolutely. Did I mourn the year of my life Id wasted on him? Without question. In the end, my mistake cost me dearlyin every sense of the word. That parasite took what he could and left. But Ill be wiser from now on.

Dont let yourself be fooled as I was. Be careful, be vigilant. Test whether your partners love is genuine. If not, cut them out. Dont hesitate. Give as good as you get.