We all have our own individual stories of our first romance and the inevitable break up. Whether you’re on the giving or receiving end of the break up news, it’s bad.
Video: "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," written by Neil Sedaka, performed by Damien McGinty.
My first romantic hero was Rusty, an adorable red headed, freckled guy who sat next to me in sixth grade. We shared pencils, treats, and giggles in the back of the classroom. Our teacher, many years past the prime age for swooning in love, felt it her duty to quash the burgeoning
Rusty and I vowed to to live happily ever after. We promised to not let Mrs. B interfere with our destiny together. We played dodgeball on the playground, always guarding each other’s backs. We passed blue lined notes across the aisle, mine with flowers, his with funny faces that made me laugh.
One day, Mrs. B. decided to get in the game. She posted a picture of me on the bulletin board wearing a giant diamond ring. The conversation bubble above my head said, “Ooh, Rusty, I love you!”
The class laughed. They teased. They whispered rumors about us.
That was the end of our love affair. We cracked under the pressure. But neither one of us had the guts to break up. On the advice of my friends, I wrote Rusty one last blue lined note. It was a classic “Dear John” letter. I’m pretty sure I remembered to write “Dear Rusty” in the greeting.
I agonized over that note, writing draft after draft until I had what I thought to be the perfect break up letter. But the agony of putting words on paper was nothing compared to the agony of watching Rusty read them. His best friend stood at his side while he unfolded the notebook paper and read my words. Then he hung his head, shoved the letter in his pocket, and never looked me in the eyes again. That hurt more than if he had been the one to send me a break up letter. Rusty, if you’re out there somewhere, I apologize.
In my upcoming Honey Creek book, Shades of the Future, my heroine Mariah thinks she has to break up with her boyfriend. She can't bear to face him, but they're a few years past the age of breaking up with a note written with a Number 2 pencil. She finally ends up trying to give him the bad news on the cell phone, with unexpected results.
How about you? Do you have a break up story you can share? Did you ever break up on the phone or by text?
Aw, poor Rusty. I broke up with a boy by letter when he was at camp. I think I was 12. And I think I might have broken up with someone by phone when I was in my 20s, but then he harrassed me for a week, so I think I was suitably punished. Next break-up was face to face (and now we're FB friends - lol). Gosh, didn't realize I was such a heart-breaker.
ReplyDeleteYou heart-breaker, you!
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