TWWBP Project

It doesn't break even.

He lied to me about many important things he should have been honest with from the start. He made up so many fantastic stories and until this day I don’t understand why he had to do that.

He said he is separated from his wife because he cheated on him a few times over. And he married her only to give his sons a name. Like he couldn't tell me all the details of their separation because he's protecting someone. They don't talk anymore and when they do, it always end up in a fight. He's leaving for Venezuela to think about what to do after telling his sons about us. He suffers from a really bad headache, he starts and ends the day with it. He doesn't love her anymore. He's taking her back for their children's sake. And many many more preposterous stories.

He told me many sacred words and promises, too that sounded like he meant them and intended to keep them.

Like he’s coming home to see me last summer. Like I am the one he wanted to be with all his life. Like he loves me, forever and always, and he hopes to marry me someday, and couldn't bear living his life without me. I completed him and made him really really happy.

The truth is … his wife was just waiting for her petition papers and that long wait made him miss her so much that he needed some kind of entertainment to shake those blues away. His wife flew from the Philippines to the US, last November. I never heard from him again. Just some pictures in Facebook, happy together in Houston.

I'm left with all the broken pieces … of why he had to wait for 3 decades, for him to deceive me and break my heart, when we both know, in mid life, there’s little time to forgive, forget, and heal.

... of how I will spend my remaining years, and never understand, like long for that boy i really really adore, he shows up after 30 years , and this is what I get.

***

Daniel Handler explains the TWWBU Project

Why We Broke Up is my new novel, in the form of a long letter from a girl named Min Green to a boy named Ed Slaterton. The letter comes with a box, and inside the box are all of the souvenirs from their love. Each of the items is the subject of a painting by Maira Kalman.

In order to write and illustrate this tale of heartbreak, Maira and I dug deep into our own romantic histories, remembering all of the times we’ve been dumped, particularly by [name redacted] and, in Maira’s case, [name redacted]. It was almost like getting our hearts broken all over again, several times, and it doesn’t seem fair that we would have to do this and you wouldn’t.

This website allows you to share your stories of heartbreak with us, just as we shared ours with you. Our hope is that the Why We Broke Up project will enable all of our heartbreak to reach critical mass, so that, unlike [name redacted], it will never bother us again.

***

Irma Vanta explains :) ... why she got into this :)

Travelling alone for 5 to 6 hours. A bit costly for a business trip that went a little wayward LOL ... but then ... as always ... such a blessing in disguise ... my head started working ... i threw my lavander ballet flats in the sack, and put on my floral flip flops , and brave typhoon Ferdie umbrellaless.

Such a road trip will definitely trigger this monsterous ADHD LOL ... my cp running out of batteries ... 2 batteries huh ... parking my playlist without my will :( ... last week, I finally finished Women with Big Eyes (so what's the next best thing to do but grab a E.L. James' 50 Greys ...

I went to the nearest bookstore, befriended the supervisor so she made some calls, low, medium, high end. Zip zilch nada. I ran upstairs in Netopia, and surfed, all possible imaginable branches. Zip zilch nada. Second option. Another title. After looking at some other bestsellers downstairs ... I googled reviews.

That was how I got here. This got me at hello. But it was tearjerk as put together my 10 cents worth together.

I recall, my good friend Pia, texted me last week... blistering message :) ... she questioned why it was hard for me to get over an unconsummated love ...

I'll send her this, too. I hope this explains ...