The Bipolar Mr. Clean

We met at a networking party. I actually knew him from before through work but had never spoken on a social level. So on this night he somehow got my number amidst all the card swapping and other such frivolity. Our first date went very well, he was endearingly warm and charming. He obviously knew of my love for golf because he took me to a lyme by the clubhouse. He was great fun and I agreed to see him again. The second date involved some of his friends and was at the Haagen Dazs cafe. Nice. He started talking about a jazz festival a few months later, at which time I mentioned that I was considering moving to another island and might not be around. For a minute there was angry looking flicker on his face but that passed.

Over the following weeks we became an item. of sorts. I guess. From early tho, I noticed some bad mood swings. He was the life of the party one day and a kind of snarky grinch the next. A friend said she heard he was manic-depressive, so I started tracking his mood swings. He was 'up' most of the time, but would have awful dark periods for about a week. During these down days he would tell me stories of how he was banished to live with his grandparents as a child, that his mom hates him and even that he was really the illegitimate child of the Prime Minister. WTF!?!? And those were the good days, on really bad days he would quarrel with, insult and belittle anyone in his path. Ugly.

So one day a few weeks before I was scheduled to leave, I was home packing boxes and he came over with chinese takeout to lyme. When he entered and saw the place filled with boxes he got all agitated, made an excuse and left. A few days later he called to say he had a gift for me. He came over with a bath mat set. *perplex* not only was that the tackiest gift EVER, surely he didn't mean for me to take it with me as my boxes had already been shipped. A few more days later he came over with a carpenter, a plan to build a bar on my patio and a set of handblown martini glasses. That's when I had to sit him down and say 'I am really leaving, the gifts are appreciated but I have no use for them.' then I made the mistake of suggesting he needed counselling. He blew up and stormed out the house.

During my last days before moving I was partying and lyming alot. I saw him many places I went and he didn't speak to me. Not only did he not speak to me, he made a point of greeting my friends and turning his nose up at me. Once I said goodnight and got a 'I'm not trying to hear that!' response. When I was in the plane on my departure day I got a text 'I will always be here but you have some things you need to work out before there can be an us'. Well you know what they say about he who laughs last ...

Lesson Learnt: Crazy is what crazy do. Sometimes its really not my problem. I been home since, seen him and he continues to ignore me.