6 ms·
OMG, this reminds me so much of a very pivotal point in my life. It was way back in 1987, and I had quit my very stable job with a telecom giant (Bell Labs) to
by zw123456 5y ago
OMG, this reminds me so much of a very pivotal point in my life. It was way back in 1987, and I had quit my very stable job with a telecom giant (Bell Labs) to go to work with a bunch of buddies on a start up company, we had developed a very cool new network management technology for IBM SNA networks (google it, in the way back times that was the shit).
Anyhow, I had been working my ass off, night and day, like you do on gigs like that. My wife of 5 years thought I was cheating on her. HA ! that would have been a lot more fun ugh.
Long story short (you can fill in the blanks, fights etc.).
So one day comes where, the dream comes true, IBM offers to buy us out, but I was in sort of a fog and worried about my marriage and moving to Bocca Raton was probably not going to fly. I get called into my bosses office and he goes through my options, all foggy as hell to me at the time and I sort of grunt and point at taking my profit sharing pay out rather than moving. So OK, in my mind I had just got fired.
I go home and on the dinning room table there is a bunch of papers, divorce papers, my wife comes in and tells me she wants a divorce. OK, so I lose my job and marriage on the same day within hours. So what do I do? Well heck what any sane person would do. I grab my wind surf board and throw it in my Scout (wish I still had it, wife said it was a piece of junk, ha, worth a lot if I had kept it). I grab the dog, she knows the drill, hops in the Scout, I make a quick pit stop for a 6 pack of Pacifico and we are off to my favorite beach.
I take Heidi, my dog, on a couple of baby spins on the board, she loves that. Do a little shredding. Then back on the beach she sits and stares at me, you know dogs know. Sipping on my beer. And it hits me, duh, wait a second, what the heck did my boss say again about profit sharing ? My mind starts to clear, starts racing. I finish that one beer and head back to the house. I check the papers, Fuck ! I am a millionaire, 3 months from now when the deal closes. Oh, let's check those divorce papers, huh, it can be done in 90 days.
So suddenly I am a super helpful husband with the divorce, I will sign everything and run it to the court house of course. Let's just get this silly thing over with, you are totally right.
Anyhow, funny how stuff hits you. Anyhow, never married again. Did one other start up after that. Been done since. Never happier. That was, for me, that moment, I will never forget. I went from the depths of hell to bliss in a moment of clarity.
- echelon 5y agoAmazing life story. Thank you for sharing. Did your wife find out she lost out on millions? Was she angry? Did you reconcile? What are you up to these days?
- LurkingPenguin 5y agoI didn't find it amazing it all. From the comment about cheating ("that would have been a lot more fun ugh") to the comment about how he became a "super helpful husband with the divorce" once he realized he would be a millionaire, the post gives the impression that the OP was all about himself and never truly cared about the experience and feelings of the woman he was married to. On the plus side, at least the OP realized that he didn't want to be married and didn't make the same mistake twice.
- zw123456 5y agoYup, completely confess to all. I am selfish and self absorbed. Maybe a bit of a narcissist, working on it but self aware. And yes, you are completely correct, I realized marriage was not a good thing for me (or for the other person, hehe, that's how bad I am, had to come back and edit to add this as a second thought). You are who you are.
- effingwewt 5y agoA selfish person would have actually cheated, you aren't in denial of anything, and I'm sure many people would prefer that to a cheating liar. I'd say the person you responded to read your story through the lens of their own personal history, but then I guess I'm guilty of the same.
- LurkingPenguin 5y agoBeing selfish means that you are concerned excessively or exclusively with yourself. In a relationship, you can't say "I didn't cheat and therefore I am not selfish." There are many behaviors that most people would reasonably consider "selfish" that don't involve infidelity. Not sure what my personal history has to do with this obvious fact.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- effingwewt 5y agoThis story gave me some hope for life. My situation went as sideways as it could, but I'm so glad to know someone made it out unscathed! Wish you amd Heidi the best!
- pedrosorio 5y ago> It was way back in 1987 I am afraid Heidi is no more...
- effingwewt 5y agoSorry to hear, I lost my best friend too- her name was Tinkerbell. I still miss her and her love and companionship, but I haven't been able to get another dog. Years on and still feels too raw. I was more broken up over her than my ex wife. I share your pain, hopefully you will find that kind of friendship again. E- sorry thought you were OP, but thanks for pointing out what I'd clearly missed by a mile!