MaryB and the City

He loves me, he loves me not.

They say things can change in the blink of an eye. And for my dear friend/perma side kick, life did just that in the form of retracted bling.

A mere 72 days elapsed from the day she got engaged with a magnificent piece of diamond-clad artwork strapped to her ring finger… to when it was indefinitely removed and given back to its original owner.

The proposal to spend the rest of her life with a man was cut short. The wedding will be no longer.

It has been 10 days since the nuptial planning was put to rest, and for as many questions that still loom in the air, just as many answers continue to surface in her heart.

Their getting-to-know-you courtship was just under a year old, which really didn’t phase either one of the participants who were simply looking for & found love. After you pass the threshold of thirty birthdays over a lifetime ~ knowing what you want is front & center, and the actual dating process doesn’t have to drag on.

Or at least, so we thought.

I’ve been through and witnessed a lot in my life — the good, bad and ugly. I also consider myself a pretty grounded individual who can see things for what they are, live without regrets, and believe that everything happens for a reason. But I have to be honest…I really didn’t see this one coming.

The bachelor was branded as, well, that guy. Everyone liked him. He was seemingly enamored with my BFF, as he should be as far as I was concerned. He was anxious to lock it down and shuffle along the aisle hand-in-hand. From the very beginning, he treated her the way girls dream and read about in fairy tale books. And personally, inspired me to think there are guys that exist out there who are both gentleman and genuine.

Just hours before the unscheduled break-up took place, we were chatting and what she shared with me shook me to my core. So much so, I actually developed a headache. Maybe it was sympathy pains. But nonetheless, it got inside me. 

“I used to feel lonely before… when I was single. Now, I’m engaged, and feel even lonelier.”

Then and there I knew how this story would end.

And suddenly, boom. The truth surfaced: Change of Heart. Something is missing. He doesn’t want to move forward. Call it a case of the jitters. And while you’re at it, call me jaded.

The great thing about this resilient single-again gal is that she can actually step back and laugh at the situation. Or as she likes to call it, is even better than a Lifetime movie. Now that is pretty amazing. She isn’t drowning in misery, putting a sharp blade to her wrist, or taking up booze as a hobby. Instead she is reflecting on all of the learnings taken from the relationship, realizes it apparently wasn’t meant to be, wishes her early retirement fiancé well, and is looking forward to where life will take her next.

I admire her grace and guts. I admire her hope and unbreakable happiness.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I can’t believe we’re both here again. Mr. Big moved a few states away; her partner moved away from their pending marriage.

The beautiful part - even as this chapter closes - we still and will always have each other. Maybe a diamond isn’t forever after all, but a best friend is.

“Eventually all the pieces fall into place…until then, laugh at the confusion, live for the moment, and know that everything happens for a reason.”  Carrie Bradshaw