At 22, Lee was dating a good old boy from southern Ohio. He was good looking and impressed her parents, he was a registered nurse, and was (on the surface) Mr. Right. Lee used to tell me about all of her problems with him - she loved him because it was expected of her. There was nothing specifically wrong with him, but she had a hard time with the relationship anyway. On a clothed and sober level, everything was perfect. So she accepted when he asked her to marry him.

Lee's parents were ecstatic. Their little girl had found someone wonderful, and would be cared for and loved by a "normal" guy, and not some pervert. Lee's mother took her out and bought her an $8,000 wedding dress, it looked just like the dress that Cinderella wore to the ball. I trundled out to the bridal shop with Lee and the other bridesmaids and shelled out $200 for a flowered monstrosity. Her parents threw an engagement party for their 200 closest friends and relatives. It was catered, with cases upon cases of beer and wine. Lee's mother had been a jeweler, and gave Lee's fiance a $2,000 24K gold setting for her diamond. Money was splashed all over the event, tears were shed, and a thousand how wonderfuls were spewed.

As the big day got closer, Lee became more of a wreck. Loverboy was living in Ohio, while she lived in Michigan, finishing school. Their sex life was dull and boring, which was almost unbearable for Lee. To her credit, she did not cheat on him. He accused her of cheating, and began to lose his lustre. Visiting in Ohio, I watched him degenerate into a world class asshole while drinking. I told Lee to ditch the fucker and come home to Michigan with me. I ended up leaving alone, but Lee got the message. She confided in me that he was hitting her, and that she wasn't sure if she should go through with the marriage. Her parents had spent so much money, and everyone was expecting it. Lee grew thinner and thinner, and I watched as her fantasy wedding turned into a crumbling facade. She broke off the engagement, and her parents were upset - the fiance was emotionally bereft. By taking herself away from him, she had taken away his reason for life. He began calling her mother and crying to her on the phone, begging her to intercede and give Lee back to him. She was torn between her daughter and this perfect young man, who she had started to love as a son. We talked about it, and I told her that Mr. Perfect was also Mr. Womanbeater.

We agreed that it was better to have a $20,000 boyfriend than a bad husband.

Lee Stories

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