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Let Them Keep Pictures of Their Ex
Ask for discretion
When you meet someone as an adult — they have history. Chances are they’ve had a boyfriend or girlfriend. Probably a lover or two. Maybe they’ve been married before. They might have children.
My ex and I divorced a few years ago. For a while, we kept in touch. Recently, less so. I haven’t spoken to him in over almost a year. Which is fine.
But I don’t hate him. In fact, I do still care about him, in the sense that I hope he has a good life and is happy. I don’t have any desire to see him again.
But I have some good memories.
I want to remember those times and places when he and I were happy. He knew my father, old friends, and my now deceased cat Snoopy. He and I took my parents on a vacation to the Grand Canyon. We climbed a Mayan pyramid in Belize, the Louvre in Paris, and the Andover campus in Massachusetts.
There are memories I share with him that are ours alone. They are bittersweet, but while the bitterness fades, the sweetness remains.
So no, if my new guy asks me to get rid of old photos — no, that is not going to happen.
That’s part of my history and if you love me, you’ll accept that.
