Niall 2: Drifting Apart

[Niall11]

Something that seems big (at least to me) happened on Friday.

Friday afternoon W told me her sister wanted to pay for her to get a haircut. My wife's longtime stylist is a good friend of ours, who's always winning awards for best in the area but gives her huge discounts. She just went not long ago. Her sister is also among the brokest and cheapest people we know. It didn't add up.

W got out of work 4 hours before the appointment but didn't come home. Texted at 8:30 that she was going to stop in at her sister's place to hang out. SIL works early on Saturdays and is in bed by 10. But I know BFF lives about 2 minutes from SIL. It didn't add up.

W came home after I went to bed. Saturday morning I awoke to...my previously preppy wife sporting an Afro-punk haircut with the entire bottom half shaved and lines carved down to the scalp, the top half curly and piled high up to one side. She looked nothing like the same person (our next door neighbor of 8 years literally didn't recognize her).

Personally, I think it looks ridiculous and can't believe she's going to go to work like that. But it's the exact same haircut New BFF has. Funny how that works. I've never met New BFF, but from the little I know she doesn't seem like the type of person I'd like to spend time with. Loud, pushy, dramatic. W, for the entire time I've known her, has been repulsed by drama and loud, pushy people. Now she posts on Facebook, "People say I'm dramatic. D*** right I'm dramatic. I have spirit. I'd rather be dead than boring or meek." She seems to be trying to copycat New BFF, which may or may not be driven by BFF, and I'm honestly somewhat concerned about it. I particularly don't want D2 caught up in it.

For me, though, it might be the best thing that could happen. For months, I've been struggling because I look at her I see my wife. And I've been as attracted to her as ever. This will probably make it a lot easier. I'm not attracted to the new look at all and, in the context of how she's treating me, it's made it clear she isn't the same person and I need to move on.

Postscript: We went to SIL's place for Mother's Day lunch yesterday. SIL expressed shock at the new haircut.
To change the subject, W commented on how all the boxes from their recent move were gone now. SIL said yes, the previous weekend they'd worked hard to finish moving in and had it cleaned up in time to have the BF's son for dinner on Tuesday.

I just smiled at W, who looked away fast.

She had told me (1) the haircut was SIL's idea and SIL's gift, and (2) that she was hanging out at SIL's place on Friday night, days after the cleanup was complete. How much of an idiot does she think I am? And why, when she openly goes out with New BFF multiple times a week, make up that story?