O NE
“Welcome to Bro-mance 101 , the radio talk show that gives dating advice from a male point of view. Tonight’s question is should you get your ring back? Caller, you’re on the air with D ev l in Hart . Tell me b ro, did you get your ring back?”
“ Hell yeah! ” a deep voice filtered across the line.
Dev l in chuckled. He knew this was going to be a hot topic from the minute he saw it on the show’s blog page. Women were always talking about keeping the engagement ring when a relationship ended . J udging from the responses on the blog, it appeared that Devin’s listeners were primed and ready to sound off on the subject .
“Caller, can I get your name and your story?”
“ Uh, j ust call me …Ishmael .”
Dev l in smile d at the caller’s reference to Moby Dick . To ensure privacy, callers were encouraged to give whatever name was comfortable for them. For many guys, baring their souls was tough enough. Add the element of anonymity, and you could get a brotha to practically admit to anything. “Okay, Ishmael . Tell us, w hat happened with the ring?”
“ M an, you won’t believe this. A week before our wedding, I caught my fiancée cheating with another man . ”
“ Oh, n o!”
“ Oh, yes . ”
“I know you didn’t forgive that trespass.”
“ Right. I ain’t goin’ out like a chump. A fter I broke the dude’s nose, I broke off the engagement. I told my fiancée I didn’t ever want to see her again . Of course, s he was trippin’ hard . The woman had the nerve to try to keep her ring and mine! Said I embarrassed her. So , she felt like she should get something for her pain and suffering.”
“ Wait. She said y ou embarrassed her? Sounds like you got the raw deal, bro.”
“That’s what I’m sayin g! ”
“I hope you got your ring back after you kicked that guy’s ass.”
“It took a couple of weeks, but I told her if she didn’t give those rings bac k, I was gonna put all her business on Twitter and Facebook. ”
“Oh, that’s cold .”
“ No, what’s cold is that the guy she was cheating with filed assault and battery charges against me. I go tta go to court next month .”
“Where’s the justice, man? ”
“ I’ll tell ya this, I’ ma think long and hard before I get serious with any chick again.”
“ I don’t blame you. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure a lot of guys would have done the same thing in your place.”
Ishmael grew so quiet, Devlin thought he might have hung up. “I gave this woman two years of my life. Two years is a long time.”
Devlin’s heart had been ripped to shreds by a woman he’d cared deeply for. Many nights he’d sat up nursing a bottle of liquor, trying to find the answers to God’s mysteries. “I’ve been where you are,” Devlin admitted . “Sometimes, when we are going through a storm, we don’t know why it happened until days, months, or even years later. I look at this as a blessing for you.”
Ishmael snorted. “How’s that?”
“You could have ended up married to this woman. Instead, you got to see her true colors. You should consider yourself lucky.”
“I guess I never thought about it like that.”
“You sound like a good man, Ishmael. The best way to move on from this is to focus on the positive. Don’t wallow in the negativity of the past.”
“That ’s gonna take some time .”
“ Stay strong, bro. I know it took a lot for you to call in tonight. Thanks for sharing your experience with me .”
“ I should be thank ing you , man. I’ve been a fan of your show for years. You confront the issues guys really need to hear about. It’s good to know there are men out there going through the same thing as me .”
“I appreciate that. Good luck in court, Ishmael .”
Dev l in hun g up and for the next hour , he took calls on the topic of the night. It was the same story with each caller.
“Welcome to Bro-mance 101 , the radio talk show that gives dating advice from a male point of view. Tonight’s question is should you get your ring back? Caller, you’re on the air with D ev l in Hart . Tell me b ro, did you get your ring back?”
“ Hell yeah! ” a deep voice filtered across the line.
Dev l in chuckled. He knew this was going to be a hot topic from the minute he saw it on the show’s blog page. Women were always talking about keeping the engagement ring when a relationship ended . J udging from the responses on the blog, it appeared that Devin’s listeners were primed and ready to sound off on the subject .
“Caller, can I get your name and your story?”
“ Uh, j ust call me …Ishmael .”
Dev l in smile d at the caller’s reference to Moby Dick . To ensure privacy, callers were encouraged to give whatever name was comfortable for them. For many guys, baring their souls was tough enough. Add the element of anonymity, and you could get a brotha to practically admit to anything. “Okay, Ishmael . Tell us, w hat happened with the ring?”
“ M an, you won’t believe this. A week before our wedding, I caught my fiancée cheating with another man . ”
“ Oh, n o!”
“ Oh, yes . ”
“I know you didn’t forgive that trespass.”
“ Right. I ain’t goin’ out like a chump. A fter I broke the dude’s nose, I broke off the engagement. I told my fiancée I didn’t ever want to see her again . Of course, s he was trippin’ hard . The woman had the nerve to try to keep her ring and mine! Said I embarrassed her. So , she felt like she should get something for her pain and suffering.”
“ Wait. She said y ou embarrassed her? Sounds like you got the raw deal, bro.”
“That’s what I’m sayin g! ”
“I hope you got your ring back after you kicked that guy’s ass.”
“It took a couple of weeks, but I told her if she didn’t give those rings bac k, I was gonna put all her business on Twitter and Facebook. ”
“Oh, that’s cold .”
“ No, what’s cold is that the guy she was cheating with filed assault and battery charges against me. I go tta go to court next month .”
“Where’s the justice, man? ”
“ I’ll tell ya this, I’ ma think long and hard before I get serious with any chick again.”
“ I don’t blame you. If it’s any consolation, I’m sure a lot of guys would have done the same thing in your place.”
Ishmael grew so quiet, Devlin thought he might have hung up. “I gave this woman two years of my life. Two years is a long time.”
Devlin’s heart had been ripped to shreds by a woman he’d cared deeply for. Many nights he’d sat up nursing a bottle of liquor, trying to find the answers to God’s mysteries. “I’ve been where you are,” Devlin admitted . “Sometimes, when we are going through a storm, we don’t know why it happened until days, months, or even years later. I look at this as a blessing for you.”
Ishmael snorted. “How’s that?”
“You could have ended up married to this woman. Instead, you got to see her true colors. You should consider yourself lucky.”
“I guess I never thought about it like that.”
“You sound like a good man, Ishmael. The best way to move on from this is to focus on the positive. Don’t wallow in the negativity of the past.”
“That ’s gonna take some time .”
“ Stay strong, bro. I know it took a lot for you to call in tonight. Thanks for sharing your experience with me .”
“ I should be thank ing you , man. I’ve been a fan of your show for years. You confront the issues guys really need to hear about. It’s good to know there are men out there going through the same thing as me .”
“I appreciate that. Good luck in court, Ishmael .”
Dev l in hun g up and for the next hour , he took calls on the topic of the night. It was the same story with each caller.
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