Dear Cary,
I can't tell if I'm paranoid or justified at this point, and maybe you won't be able to tell, either, but I guess I just need someone else to think about this for a minute, because I'm exhausted.
I've been married for 13 years. We've had our ups and down, but thankfully, it's been mostly up. We've got a small collection of children of various ages, and a busy, engaged life.
A few months ago, I got up early one morning to find my husband's e-mail open, and in particular, a letter minimized on the screen. Clueless, I opened it, and was horrified to read a rather plaintive and deeply personal letter to his ex-girlfriend. Reading the entire letter, and the history of the e-mail trail as it bounced along, I was quick to realize he had been searching for her.
I chose not to say anything, because I couldn't figure out what to say, other than I was hurt that he hadn't told me about the contact.
A few weeks ago, he asked me to open his e-mail while he was at work to retrieve a phone number. Not only was there further communication from her, there was also communication from other women, like the women at the bank where he does business, and it referenced phone calls. There was nothing overtly sexual about them, but they were personal. When I managed to work one of the women's names into a conversation, he flat-out lied to me and denied ever talking to her or writing to her. I know he did. I saw it.
I don't know what to do. After I saw the last contacts, I confronted him. He's furious with me, just spitting mad that I read his e-mail. I'm furious that it appears that he is trolling for women on the Internet. He says they are all just friends, but this isn't like him. And my internal radar has gone off so loudly I can hardly hear anything else. He says it's in my head, and it may be. I think the better guess is that he's cheating, or planning to cheat, and he's angry that he's been caught.
Any ideas on the next step? He's insisting that I'm paranoid and that he's never given me reason to doubt him. I think writing and calling women secretively is a pretty big reason to have pause.
On Shaky Ground
Dear On Shaky Ground,
I can't know whether he is cheating or thinking about cheating. But I suggest you give some thought to the following.
Is it OK in principle for him to have female friends that you don't know about? Are there specific women friends that make you feel uncomfortable?
If there are, I suggest you tell him: When you communicate with your ex-girlfriend, I feel threatened. Or: These particular women make me uneasy.
You may be thinking that he should just know. But it is possible that he doesn't. So get very specific.
What about thoughts? What if he communicates with a woman and wonders what it would be like to put his hand on her motorcycle? What if he actually touches her motorcycle? Does he have to tell you that? What if he touches her motorcycle but they don't ride anywhere?
This could get tedious. But what I'm getting at is that you may have a detailed map in your head of what is OK and not OK but he doesn't know that map very well. He needs to get to know that map.
Consider the problem of building and repairing trust, as discussed in this dry but possibly useful article. Reading and thinking about this might help you come to see trust as an actual phenomenon that needs to be strengthened and understood in your relationship.
This much is clear: He may be telling the truth, and he may be being candid. But he is not being candid enough to suit you. You require more trust-building behavior from him. I hope you can get it.
He wants you to trust him more. How can he get you to trust him more? Perhaps he can be more transparent and forthcoming in his accounts of his whereabouts, his comings and goings, his entrances and exits, his kisses and his handshakes, whom he writes to and how, how he talks to whom and for what reason and about what topics.
What is this, a prison? He may ask. Yes, you might reply: It is the prison of profound responsibility.
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What? You want more?
Shares