@LoveLiLi
I'm assuming he never came back to set that date? What was his excuse though? How do you balance not rushing him when he knows he wants to marry you vs. being the placeholder? That brings me to my next thought- I've observed men marrying or settling down when they're just tired of the game. Not because this woman stood out above the rest, but merely the only one left. And the men are perfectly satisfied with that decision. The last woman standing is the name of that game...but she doesn't know that, she thinks she was 'chosen.'
How do you know when you're not the latter?
My ex was a case of wanting to keep me but placing very little value on being a husband or father. He begged for a child but God, in his infinite wisdom, said "nah son". My ex wanted a child the way some celebrities want a child - as an accessory.
He never proposed so he didn't have to give an excuse about not having a date. We spoke about marriage, children and getting a home together but he started working on things so late in the game that I lost faith that he was serious or that we would ever be married. We attended his best friend's wedding and he spent the entire evening telling everyone that we were getting married next. Really?
Where's my ring? Where's the house? Why do you piss away your money on extravagant vacations and shopping sprees? Peep this, the groom asked when we were getting married right in front of me. My ex said "sooner rather than later. Sooner than you think". The groom replied "Well, we thought you'd never get married". The groom turned to me and said "We're all Capricorns, so I know you already read between the lines". He was damn right, sooner than 'never' could be 5 years from now.
His way of life made me think he was happy with things just as they were and I could either keep him and stay unsatisfied or move on to find a man who was a true protector and provider. For instance, He made decent money and had the type of position where he had the potential to make a great deal more with a little discipline. He could easily bring home 250k+ a year but preferred to spend half his work day watching ESPN or going shopping. I didn't respect that. I'm looking for a man to sit. me. down. He had the ability but not the desire.
I would say my ex felt like he had all the time and all the options in the world. He was constantly being told how good looking he was to the point that he was frustrated that people rarely complimented him on anything other than his appearance. He is used to dating models/singers etc. so he thinks he will always have his pick of pretty women. He also wore his bachelor status as a badge of honor. If one of his coworkers mentioned having to go to a family event or skipping a night out to help with the kids he would gloat about not having those "problems". He was free to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. I don't believe being a husband and father were important to him.
He was selfish and over indulgent. He wouldn't come in and make chicken and rice and veggies for dinner. It had to be seafood and steak, a bottle of champagne and multiple desserts - on a regular Tuesday. Rarely was anything toned down. He believed in excess, parties and always having 'fun'. I couldn't envision him putting aside his wants in favor of family needs. And life showed me I was right. Repeatedly. He stepped up to help me in certain ways last year and then made me feel horrible about it. The money was not the issue. It's that he wanted to use that money for a trip to Hawaii. Later, he
volunteered to do something that I would say was critical. Half-a$$ed it because he wanted to take me to Vegas for my b-day and thought that outweighed my needs at the time.
People around me were shocked that I ended it, and so abruptly at that, but I couldn't take anymore. I guarantee, this is a man who would let me suffer through sickness, stress or parenting
alone , all the while giving the appearance of having a great family life because we go on great vacations and drive the right cars. He was so upset he started stalking me and took me to court on false charges. They were thrown out but he acted a fool and was stupid enough to send text messages stating that he was only taking me to court to get my attention. Got in court and whined to the judge about how much he loved me and had a ring to propose - just let us work it out without a protective order. Bih what?! After you just threw the temper tantrum of the century and lied on me in court?
Bottom line, I hit a point where I realized I was never going to get what I wanted from this man. Even if we got married - it wouldn't be what I really wanted. I would never have emotional support from him and I would feel like he finally 'gave in' to keep up with his friends vs genuinely valuing marriage and cherishing me.