KEY POINTS:
My friend Charlie was round the other night, bemoaning his love life to me when he said something that made me sit up and listen.
A guy who had mucked Charlie around earlier in the year had resurfaced months later, desperate to rekindle the relationship.
After weeks of pleading, Charlie agreed to see him again.
All was well for about five minutes, when the guy turned around and did the whole "I can't do this, I don't want a relationship" spiel.
Charlie, being an upfront sort of person, turned to the person in question and gave him a full dressing down.
(Which I love because I've always wanted to do it but never quite had the balls...)
Amid the tirade was the very pertinent question: "Why force your way into my life only to turn around and run away?"
And thus, in just 14 words, Charlie summarised the problem that has perennially plagued my romantic life - and probably those of countless others - but which I have never quite been able to verbalise.
It is the most frustrating, infuriating thing.
There you are, going about your business, when someone comes along and deliberately seeks you out.
They determinedly work their way into your life and convince you to give them a chance.
And then when you do, they shit on you.
(Sorry to be crass but I really feel the language is necessary).
I realise such behaviour is the result of people not knowing what they want, but that is their problem, not anyone else's.
They should figure out what they want on their own and THEN act on it.
Obviously, there are some things you just can't factor in when starting a new relationship.
You may discover, just two weeks in, that there are certain characteristics, traits or beliefs that you can't stand.
But there is a big difference between that and what I'm talking about.
The most annoying part about these people is they continue to hang around after they've rejected you.
They still seek you out.
I'm not sure if it's because they crave the attention or they get a wee kick out of messing with people's heads.
Or perhaps they are genuinely lost souls who just don't know what they want in life.
Regardless of their motives, these people are toxic. Deceptively so.
My advice to anyone currently plagued by such a person is to cut your losses now.
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice...
