She has... issues.

[same_sky]

We finally watched The Matrix tonight. It's Ben's fault that we haven't seen it before. I was going to link to Ben but decided to turn this into a real story and therefore I might as well keep it all somewhat anonymous to protect the innocent. Ben was/is a very good friend from the mud. He was, at the time, very into a erm, certain friend of mine who I'm not going to mention by name. She used to be on the muds a little to talk to me, so they met and became friends, too. This was early June of 1999 and Magnus was here on his first visit, so we were barely officially together. Ben had decided to come live in Morehead for the summer (he's British). I knew that this was a bad plan for a wide variety of reasons, but it wasn't any of my business. Or at least I didn't think so at the time. He had plans of getting a job.. he was doing an exchange type of program so he was allowed to work. Course, no one wanted to hire him for two months, so he never did get a job and he barely had money the whole time he was here.

Anyway, he was supposed to arrive in Lexington at a certain time by bus. M and I had agreed to go with the friend to pick him up. He got there early, and I got a frantic call from Friend at seven in the morning or so saying that he was there and we needed to go get him. So we got up, got ready and left. This is where The Matrix comes in, though I must say it plays a very small role in this story. I can't believe I'm even basing a very long journal entry around it, it's such a small role. We had rented it the night before and had intended to watch it the next day, for some reason, but we couldn't because of the whole picking up Ben thing. Not only do I take forever to get to the point, apparently, but my point is not always the point of the story!

The summer turned out to be a disaster, really. The friend decided that she was not really interested in pursuing a relationship, and in fact had a job for the summer an hour and a half away and wouldn't even be in town much at all. There were lots of issues on all sides going around. Meanwhile, Ben got an apartment in town and was generally very bored and hot all summer. I didn't really know what to do. I stopped in to visit sometimes, but not as often as I should have. I felt very weird about spending more time with him than my boyfriend, plus there was the being in the middle of the friend's thing with him. I wasn't overly full of confidence at the time. Anyway, it was generally sucky and bad, but Ben's a really nice guy and I really regret how it all turned out. We did have one very fun night.. we all got together for the fourth of July.. me and Ben and Friend and two of my best friends from high school, who were newly broken up. That was a little awkward. That whole night was a little awkward in various ways, but that's neither here nor there. Finally, at the end of the summer, I took him out to get on the Greyhound bus by Hardee's. He had called, made the reservation and was told to be there by 10:30 am. To make a long story short.. even though the company booked a time and place for this bus to arrive.. there is no bus station in Morehead. I had to take him to Ashland, which is an hour away. It was very odd.

Okay, one more story and then I'll stop rambling about it all. Want to hear what a bitch I am? *giggle* Right before Ben got here that summer, Magnus and I sent him an email. Whoa. I actually found it, so I'll just reprint it here instead of paraphrasing. Here's the (edited) paragraph from the mail that we wrote together four years ago. Literally together. We were very proud of our one-handed typing technique.

We feel that there is probably something that we should tell you about Friend. She's my (Kisha) best friend and all, but she... has issues. We kind of figure you would have noticed a few of them by now, so just saying ... don't be surprised if there are more than you know of now. We just don't want you to get into any trouble.:)

We meant it as a joke. Really, we did. But he left right after receiving that mail, so we didn't talk to him again.. and apparently, he believed it! Rofl! The poor guy spent a transatlantic flight worrying about what kind of trouble that Friend might get him into and what sort of "issues" she might have on top of the ones he should already know about!!

And what makes me a bitch is that I still laugh every time I think about it.

Comments

[totte.livejournal.com]

Guess that makes me a bitch too. I still find it hilarious.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Kinda makes me feel sorry for any possible future kids.. :)

[carrieb.livejournal.com]

What a sad situation for that poor guy. I really feel for him. We have lots of romances over at FFF and most have been successful but one just utterly failed and the poor people involved feel like such failures since they look around and see me and Mike and another engaged couple who are so happy. I try to tell them that long distance relationships are just as chancy as real ones, but they seem to think they did something wrong. Not that this has a point. Your story just reminded me of them.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

*nods* It was sad because he was disappointed. However. It was rather clear that there was no chance that they could make it as a couple for a lot of different reasons, so I was trying to just be glad that it ended as cleanly as it did. He's not entirely blameless, either. After he went home, he met and fell in love with this other girl. They're engaged now and are extremely happy.. I talk to him every few months or so. It was incredibly weird to be that much in the middle of it all. I always feel bad for people when they invest so much time and effort into this online romance and it fails. Actually, I always make people laugh when I say this, given how M and I met, but.. I just don't believe in online romances! ;)

[mriika.livejournal.com]

you bitch.
hehehe,just kidding! ;)

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

You say that like it's a bad thing! hehehe :)

[stewlis.livejournal.com]

Well, you know, knowing the circumstances surrounding this story and all, I'd just like to point out that to anyone who reads this story and feels all sorry for Ben, there's one little (MAJOR?!) detail that was left out of the story. Ben was told a couple months before he came to Morehead that it was not a good idea for him to come, that any tangible real-life relationship could not and would not happen, because of various...umm...issues. But, he came anyway, hoping to turn a lost ldr into something it couldn't be, and any possible friendship that might have been salvaged was sadly lost. I think the Friend was quite generous to agree to pick him up at the airport at this point, considering he came anyway when she blatantly pointed out that she no longer had a romantic interest in him, and given that the Friend was beginning to feel a bit freakish about this guy whom she'd never met's perceived growing obsession with her, especially before they had even met irl to begin with. There is a big difference between talking to someone online and over the phone, and actually meeting them in person. Ben seemed to have this preconceived notion that things would pick up exactly from text to real life...issues and present lack of romantic feelings toward him notwithstanding. A bit blindly, at that. *shudder* That entire incident was a nightmare, I'm sure as much for Ben as it was for the Friend.

[same-sky.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, there is that. ;) However, given that Ben didn't even know about the circumstances other than that Friend didn't want to pursue a relationship, it was just easier to tell the story somewhat impartially without dancing around circumstances that can't be written about, which rather makes him out to be just the victim. :) I felt sorry for both of them. Anyway, I was just writing about it because of my personal involvement with it, because as disappointing as it was to Friend and Ben, it was awkward as hell for me.. ;) *hugs* :)