My friend couldn't stand the loneliness and tried to mediate the tug-of-war in his brain on whether or not he made a mistake. He claimed to constantly see signs that he should reach out to her. One such sign was a billboard for a furniture store that contained her name. With each frantic phone call to me pleading for permission to call her, I tried to convince him the signs were merely that....advertising signs that dotted the highway and not an excuse to pick at a scab. If anything, he chose not to notice the abundance of signs indicating a failed relationship. While he seemed to take my advice, he later admitted to taking numerous red eye flights to see her in Los Angeles. He knew their relationship was toxic, but for whatever reason...couldn't stop. As with my own personal experiences, I figured the only way he could move forward was if (and when) he met someone else.
Finally, that someone else entered his life and he let go of the past. He even pawned the former engagement ring and used that money to take a vacation and, later, to move his life out of New York. Within a year, my friend and his new girlfriend moved in together and things seemed to be falling into place. No matter what became of this relationship, I labeled it a success because it meant the old toxic relationship was finally over.
I wish I could tell you that this story has a "happily ever after" ending, but the truth is the toxic relationship reared its ugly head in the worst possible way and changed the lives of all involved. After hitting rock-bottom, my friend eventually dusted himself off and, after several years, found happiness with a different girl. The two married and live happily on a tropical island far away from Los Angeles...