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Romance | Oct 19 2005

D told me about a friend who’s in therapy with her boyfriend of eight years because he won’t marry her. She’s broken up with him many times but has always gone back. I asked if this guy has given any indication of ever wanting to marry her, and D said no.

Well she’s an idiot, I said.

Actually she’s smarter than you think, said D. She doesn’t want to marry him either, so she has him play the role of the refuser. That’s why she picked him and why she keeps going back, because he’ll never agree to marry her.

I asked if D’s friend realizes any of this, and D said no, adding the boyfriend doesn’t realize it either.

We agreed that this is strangely romantic.