A woman wrote us an emotional letter about a difficult circumstance she is facing. She’s fallen in love with her married neighbor and isn’t sure what to do. She wanted us to share her tale with our readers so she could obtain some advice. She explained, “There’s no way I can talk to my friends or family about this, so I figured I’d reach out here for advice. I’m desperate, and I know you will probably judge me, but at least please try to understand my side. Thanks.”
We received a letter from a woman who wanted to remain anonymous.
This 35-year-old reader elected to remain anonymous while discussing her highly controversial predicament. She wanted to hear our audience’s thoughts on her challenging situation and was prepared to accept any criticism that came her way.
She began her letter by adding, “I’m 35, and nine months ago, I went through a messy and painful breakup with my fiancé. I ended up moving in with a friend and her husband, and we’re all renting a house together. That’s when I met my neighbor, who I’ll call Kevin. He helped us move our stuff in, and I immediately fell for him. Since we both live in the suburbs and work in the city, we started taking the same bus daily.”
She went on, “I knew from the beginning that Kevin was married and had children. He talked a lot about them and showed me photos from his phone and their Facebook account. But this didn’t stop me from liking him. It began as an innocent, stupid crush.”
She couldn’t help but fall for him more deeply.
The woman stated, “Kevin is a very attractive, humorous, and loving person. When we initially met on the bus, he inquired about my profession and personal life. He actually cared about what I was saying, which my ex never did. That was a major point of contention between us.
Kevin is often doing nice things for his children, such as giving them food and small gifts. Once, he spent the entire bus ride to work on the phone with his little daughter, reassuring her before a huge school presentation. “Seeing how caring and attentive he was, I could easily imagine how wonderful he would be with me if we were together.”
She continued, “I simply thought Kevin and I could be something more. Not long after I developed affections for him, I discovered that his wife attended the same school as me. That was shocking because they are complete opposites. He’s hilarious and energetic, whereas she’s solemn and uninteresting. He’s not the intellectual sort, yet she is incredibly intelligent. I couldn’t help but think that their personalities didn’t fit, and that Kevin might be stuck in a relationship just because he’s such a good guy.
One day, Kevin needed a favor and asked the woman for help. She didn’t hesitate to say yes.
The woman became emotional at how things unfolded. She wrote, “One evening, Kevin came over and asked if I could watch his children for a few hours. I agreed immediately. He claimed that his wife was in the hospital in another city, and he was quite concerned, so he wanted to drive there and see her. Because they don’t have any family nearby, he asked me to watch the kids for a few hours until a family friend, who was driving from a long distance, arrived later that night.
This is where things started to go wrong. The woman stated, “Kevin’s children were an utter nightmare. He has three daughters, and the oldest was a classic bratty preteen with a difficult personality. She was unpleasant, disrespected me, and argued over everything. I even caught her muttering abuses at me several times. The middle girl was extremely boisterous and insistent on playing noisy, messy games despite my repeated requests that she cease. The youngest was gentle and quiet on her alone, but she was immediately drawn into the mayhem her sisters were causing.”
She went on, “Eventually, I gave in and played hide and seek with the younger girls.” But nevertheless, I got locked out of the house. When I went around to the back door and requested the oldest daughter to let me in, she pretended not to hear me and instead put on her headphones. Fortunately, Kevin’s family friend arrived a few minutes later and welcomed me in. After that, I went home.
The woman is currently conflicted about everything.
She concluded her narrative by noting, “The whole babysitting situation bummed me out. Previously, I fantasized about becoming a stepmother to Kevin’s children. Now I don’t want anything to do with those awful children. But it also makes me think Kevin and his wife aren’t happy together, because children from a happy home don’t behave like that.”
The woman went on to explain, “I want to be with Kevin, but I am not sure if it is possible because his children and I do not get along. Plus, their mother could easily turn them against me. I genuinely love Kevin and believe we could have a fantastic relationship. But what happened to his children has left me shaken. I wish I could talk to someone about this, but I’m afraid everyone I know would criticize me.”
Neighbor relationships, like family relationships, may be difficult to navigate. A woman approached us for help after her neighbor requested her to stop racing around the neighborhood. Furthermore, the reason behind the request made her question herself and the thing she loves most.
