@d_marsh , do you know what an excellent writer you are? You are truly talented! I love your story, but your writing is always so well done.
About 20 or so years ago, there was some award going on for bloggers. I saw the people who were nominated and started reading them. Some people didn't stay in my viewing for long, but others stayed for a long time. Blogs hadn't been around for very long at that point in time, but one of the people whose blog I followed religiously was a woman named Ree Drummond. Ree wrote her story of meeting and falling in love with her husband, chapter by chapter. It was eventually published into a book. Pioneer Woman: Girl Meets Cowboy. Ree has now written several cookbooks, has her own television show, and I saw her about 14 years ago after a 12 hour day of teaching and prepping and follow up, at the Tattered Cover in Denver, back when it was a busy and thriving bookstore.
Now when I am reading your chapters, I always think of reading Ree's blog.
I think your lady friend is right on about you and how you have lived your life with women. It's not an easy thing to tell someone, but she did a wonderful job, IMHO. She is also very wise about moving slower than many women would, letting your relationship unfold.
Her husband is the worst of the worst. He used her financially and otherwise and what he did when it ended was absolutely horrible.
It reminds of a woman I only met once, at a small company party when I lived in N.D. Norma came from a family with a little money, maybe oil money. Her family helped her and her husband financially and they seemed to lived well. Husband greatly benefitted from her family money. On their 25th anniversary, he flew her to Minot, in the plane that he was able to have because of her family money, wined and dined her. When they got home, he told her he was in love with someone else, and wanted a divorce. What the actual hell? A guy I worked with had interactions with her because of his job. She came to the party but after 25 years and just being dumped, she was a mess. I knew that her husband was a very good looking man, but so what? That is all almost 40 years ago, and I wish I knew the outcome of all of that. Your lady friend's husband is the worst of the worst, IMHO.
I'm waiting for the next installment of your story! I am not wise about relationships like your lady friend, but I do love a good story!