This need not be the end.

[Barry]

Hi all,

Mozza, you make some excellent observations in your post. The ones that really resonate are;

1) Your sex life sounds very frustrating for both of you. It seems like you did settle for bad sex for a long time, and so did she. It was, and yes we both did.

2) Part of your panic at the idea that she'll meet OM is believing that she can get there the pleasure and satisfaction that you did not deliver. I've worried about this for some time.

3) Was my R with my WAW delivering what I want? We all seem to accept that after a certain period of time, couples ML less often and perhaps with less imagination. Is that a given? Is it a sign that we need to move on? Are we with the wrong person? I can't answer this one.

4) For me, sex was the ultimate bond, the thing for which you closed the door and built a relationship, not just physically but through genuine connection. I wonder now if I was doing this partly out of fear that I wouldn't find someone else, so I would bond strongly with this one willing mate? This.

So I had dinner last night with WAW as planned.
I'd slept well, bought some new clothes, got a haircut (not really required but always feels good I think), shaved, new cologne, all the usual things. I washed my new sporty looking car, mentally ticked off everything I've learnt about myself recently, what I'd read in the books and on this forum and set off, still mindful of having no expectations.
I looked and felt great without blowing my own trumpet. I felt confident. I've lost around 20 pounds and it shows. I also decided to take my W ring off for the first time in an effort to show no pressure. She knows how I feel about things.

WAW turned up and said she was feeling a bit sick. She had a headache and she did look as though she hadn't been sleeping well.
I could see straight away that this meeting was for a reason as eye contact was difficult for her.
She seemed guarded and nervous, whilst I was open, confident and talkative. It seemed like WAW's confidence was a lot lower than I'd seen since BD. Maybe the grass hasn't been so green? I stuck to safe subjects like the kids, extended family, friends, work etc and waited to see which way she may want to steer the conversation.

As we were eating our meal, she said she wanted to talk about something.
I sat there and thought "Here it is, the moment that I've been dreading"...OM has arrived.

But no, he's still just on his way.

WAW "I've been thinking about the house and I have a proposition for you."
Barry. "And what would that be WAW?
WAW.."If we sell our house, we'll both walk away with around £10k each. You can buy me out for £10k and have the house?
It's a good deal, and you get to move home. S18 and S13 will live with you and D15 with go with me. We've paid too much into it and have 11 years left on it for one of us not to benefit and you can afford to live there..I can't"
Barry.."Thank you for your offer WAW, can we discuss it another time?
WAW.."Yes, that's fine but it's a serious offer and I'm just putting it out there".

** It's at this point that you should know that the actual figure we'd walk away with each is significantly higher then £10k.
We both know it. If it was what I wanted, it is a good deal.

We chatted about other things for a while. It's whilst we're talking then that I see she is now more talkative and open so I'm thankful not to hear about an OM, at least for tonight. She was still trying to talk about R though so I asked her if she wanted us to take 5 minutes out to do that? She said yes, that she wanted to. I insisted it not be about the past, and she insisted that I start.

I told her that I really do understand how she feels about the M (over), and that I was changing my perspective (but not my mind) on the whole situation. I said without blame that it was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, but in some ways, I needed it to happen. I know what water is now. I told her that now I find myself here, that I was using it to make myself stronger.
I told her that I was more aware of my faults, and also of my strengths and that being away from her had been like going through cold turkey for me. I didn't need her any more...I wanted her in my life. She said she could hear that in me and believed it.
I said I missed my oldest friend and confidant and that it was good to see her. I said that I thought that we are two good people who have a bad R but no one did this to us, we let it, and even made it happen. I said I know I can't control her at all, I never meant to in our M and that I was sorry. I told her it was me trying to gain back some sense of power when I felt I had none.
I said that I was concentrating on Barry and his kids right now.

She said that she hasn't changed her mind at all, and that she'd really been thinking about it a lot. She doesn't see anything changing and that she was sorry. She said she hadn't met anyone and had no plans to. She started to put herself down both physically and mentally and asked who on earth would want her anyway? I asked her to continue rather than saying "ME! ME!.
She doesn't know what she wants but knows what she doesn't want, and that's this M or R any more.
She feels that everyone is reporting back to me about anything she does (which isn't true, no one does), that it was stressing her out and that she still feels trapped. She said she maybe made a mistake in agreeing to move home and she should have got her own place. She wanted me to seriously think about the £10k buy out offer, I didn't have to answer now, just think about it.

We agreed to leave the R talk there and it was within our 5 minute window. We chatted about other things, tried to lighten the conversation and even managed a couple of laughs. I was faking it at this stage...I think we both were. WAW's offer had affected me. Even though I'd gone with no expectations, I hadn't expected that. She was seeing a different Barry and wasn't expecting that either so I think we both went home with more to think about than we bargained for.

I asked if she'd had a good evening, and she said yes. I said that although I was all too aware of her feelings, I'd like to do it again but that there was to be NO R talk if we did. I said that I missed my oldest friend and confidant, and that although I was a lot better now, I was still unhappy with the situation. She said that she could see a positive change in me and with a really heartfelt tone and look, told me that she was glad I was feeling better. That she'd been worried about me and cared about me still. We arranged our plans for D15's birthday on Monday and left. As WAW was getting into her car, she once more asked me to think about her offer, and I said I would, if she would think about not doing it at all. She said she had already.

I came "home", went to my room, shut the door and cried for the first time in two weeks.

I was upset that WAW would take £10k and call it quits. After 22 years together and everything we've been through, to put a nominal monetary value on what that was worth to her was hard to take. I'd give her a million pounds to stay.
I know I shouldn't believe everything she says and that she will talk in absolutes. She does seem to have made up her mind though. I can see that she regrets not getting her own place but I don't feel sorry for her.
I was more thinking "Ahh, poor WAW, is everything not quite as you thought it would be when you set out on this path".
What a shame...but tough luck. It's not the same for me either now.

The offer is financially viable. I could buy her out by borrowing the money. I would make sure it was all set up legally in a way that if/when we D, she would have no claim on the house. However, I would have a real problem living in the family home even if I completely gutted it and changed the décor. I would be living in a house of ghosts. The only real immediate benefit would be that I would get to live with my S18 and S13, and I would have my own space again. Those are important benefits to me so I need to consider it. Another option would be for me to rent it out and we could move somewhere else. I have a lot to think about.

The way she's talking, no amount of time is going to change her mind but I'll stay the course and continue in my DB'ing efforts until I don't want to any more. DBing is meant to save the person first (which it has already) and sometimes it can save a M too, but not always.

I choose to stand for my myself first, then my kids, then my M. In that order.
My W ring is now back on my finger, it feels wrong not to have it on.

I text'd WAW this morning to say thank you for coming and I hope she was feeling better. I would think about her offer but wasn't ready to decide on it yet. I would see her on Monday.

Barry.