E-Endings…To Be Dumped By Text

E-Endings: To Be

Dumped By Text                       

by Dani Stone

May 6, 2019

One day, I walked in on a co-worker crying hysterically in the ladies’ room.  When I asked what was wrong, she handed me her cell phone.  On the screen, I saw where someone had sent her a text message with the words, “It’s Over!” in all caps.  Later, when I told my sister about the incident, she mentioned she knew two other women who received text messages from departing lovers who refused to communicate with them face to face.  She was convinced that it has become a trend.   I decided to investigate further to see if others had experienced “electronic dumping,” and I discovered a number of men and women who have been the recipient of crushing news via the impersonal use of technology.  Here are their stories:

Tom: – “My girlfriend and I made love on a Tuesday morning and when I got home that night, she had moved out.  I couldn’t find a note, and was shocked beyond belief.  She wouldn’t answer her cell phone, and I spent the whole night sleepless and puzzled about what happened.  When I got to work the next day, I discovered a text that she had written to me at 2:00 in the morning.  She explained “regretfully” that she had met someone else, and she could no longer live a lie.”

Sheri – “I was at work sitting in a conference meeting half-listening to the dialogue around me because I was horribly distracted.  I had been texting my boyfriend since early that morning and he hadn’t responded.  Texting each other had been routine for us for the nine months we had been seeing each other.  Then finally, my cell vibrated, and I looked down to see a text message from him that read, “Please don’t send me another message, I will call when I feel like talking to you!  I’m tied up!”  I was so shocked.  We hadn’t had an argument, so I didn’t understand the tone of the message.  When I later sent him an email asking him what was wrong with him.  He sent me an email back saying that I was too clingy and he was tired of it.  I never sent him another message and I haven’t heard from him since.  I couldn’t get out of the bed for two days.”

Donna – “I am a surgical nurse, and I had just come out of surgery when I got a text message from my husband telling me he wanted a divorce.  He hadn’t been home in two days and I was worried sick.  I fainted in the hospital corridor.”

Edward – “My girlfriend sent me a text telling me that we could no longer date because she had slept with my cousin.  She said she couldn’t face me.”

Tina – “My husband sent me a text message that said, “I want a divorce now!”  The odd part is that we had only been married two months, and we’d had a huge argument the morning he sent the message.  I thought he was just upset until I got home and saw that he had moved out.  We never talked about why, and I no longer care.”

Ervin – “I sent my girlfriend a text to end our relationship because I didn’t want the drama of a confrontation with her.  I was through and I didn’t really want to discuss it all night long, which was the way we dealt with our issues.  I also didn’t wish to encounter the tears or the tantrums.  I think using electronic communication to break up with someone, though impersonal and possibly cowardly, is the civilized way to end something peacefully.  I think a lot of singles see it as a non-confrontational way to communicate their true feelings.”

Me:  Personally, I see it as a coward’s way out.  It is insensitive and cruel, and during my research for this article, I met no one who felt they had been treated fairly or justly