The Ring Of Lies

And this one is for all you ladies out there:

In the post the other day, when I added the single guy's POV to SouthernBelle's and TishTash's thread, I got a little feedback asking about my relationship with MFF. (See, Sass, this is what I meant by "context".) I need to provide a little CONTEXT so that "it's complicated" makes sense. Because, really, at a certain point in your life, doesn't "it's complicated" cover every relationship that's been around for more than a week?

New Character: "My French Friend" - "MFF" is a former neighbor that I met in January '91. We've never dated, but our relationship is deeper than "just friends" would imply. Kind of "the family you make" vs. "the family you're born into" thing. She lives about a 12 hour drive from here, in the heart of Dixie. The flight takes a little less time.

In 2002, MFF had recently gotten married, moved from the heart of Dixie to rural Wisconsin, and had a baby. Her husband was relocating, again, for work and was out of town scouting housing in the Carolinas, and he suggested that I come up and stay with MFF and her baby while he was out of town. I lived about 2 hours south of there, in Chicago, so I did. It was a cold and snowy, like yesterday, which is why I'm thinking about it now.

Her husband, who in a bit of foreshadowing I will call "The Robber", had put a forward on their mail to be sent down to him in the Carolinas, but it hadn't kicked in yet. While she was still living there? Hmmm. "Yes." So while I was up there, we went to the post office and got the mail.

Cue "Duh-Duh-Duh - DUH" music.

It was there in the parking lot of the P.O. that she discovered a credit card she didn't know about.

- In her name.
- That The Robber took out BEFORE they were engaged. (Fraud? Anyone?)
- The credit card he used it to charge her engagement ring.

Let that sink in for a second.

Before they were married, The Robber got a credit card in her name, and charged her engagement ring.

It wasn't yet the beginning of the end, but it was the end of the beginning.

- He has since remarried.
- 61 days after their divorce was final.
- At the same chapel in the Caribbean where he married MFF.

And she's doing just fine without him.

Too bad you only see the really BIG RED FLAGS after the fact.