SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

I'm kind of loathe to post this in case it jinxes me but here goes.

The sad clown has been largely invisible which is awesome. He finally got the memo that we're all out of ego kibbles over here.

We recently had an email exchange about Christmas holidays. He asked me what my thoughts were and I went back with a proposal that was fair and equitable to both of us and only included 2 in-person handovers.

He came back with a weird schedule that involved 3 in-person handovers in the 3 days of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and a 4th in-person handover on New Years. Highly disruptive to the girls but our agreement says if we can't agree then he gets the first week which would mean I'd have to agree to his suggestion if he decided to insist on it due to the other part of our agreement about alternating Christmas Day each year.

I asked him to reconsider and pointed out the 3 handovers and how disruptive it would be for the girls. I also set out both of our suggested dates with the number of days we get with them in brackets next to the dates to compare them directly. I didn't have much hope and would not have pushed it further if he rejected it TBH.

I should mention in this email exchange there was also the disagreement about my little one's birthday (I posted about it). He was jabbing and goading me by being obtuse about the birthday clause but I didn't bite and ended the discussion with a generic "we seem to have differing interpretations, please direct all further queries about this birthday to your L". He dropped the issue but I thought he would be a fuckwit on the Christmas holiday issue.

Lo and behold he agreed to go with my schedule. It was patently better for everyone involved but I was surprised and thrilled that he wasn't being a fuckwit for a nanosecond.

Again - I don't want to jinx it but it looks like NC has worked in ways I didn't expect. He has finally run out of puff.

Famous last words? I'm sure he'll irritate me again in the next 15 years but for now I'm going to sit in my little bubble of ignorance and hope that this is how it will be from now on.

My question: Is this how it happens? Or am I so not used to dealing with a rational human being that I've gone giddy from potentially interacting with one?

I have no idea if this is how it goes...but I'm hoping yes for you.

But I think I better throw in a FTG...just in case.

isnt it sad how 'normal' behaviour is such a novelty!

Enjoy it while it lasts.

FTG for sure - he's still a lower muppet, just a little less noisy.

I will enjoy it while it lasts! I must have forgotten that common decency usually means some sort of fuckery is a-coming!

Long may the invisibility continue.

When they are nice, they usually want something.

When they are nice, they usually want something.

He finally got the memo that we're all out of ego kibbles over here.

This is a big part of it.

I noticed that when I stayed consistent in not taking XWH's bait, his attempts at baiting me died down, followed by periods of civility bordering on friendly.

Unfortunately, those "civil" periods got twisted in his head as "since she's not ignoring me, it must mean we're friends", which starts another bait cycle.

Just keep ignoring (or maintaining a level of civility). It'll come and go (especially if he wants something).

I just said this to another friend the other day, but take the wins where you get them - just don't use them as a standard for your expectations going forward.

Now that I think of it he has been nauseatingly friendly of late.

"Would you like me to pay for half of DD3s daycare party?"

"DD5 told me you're taking them overseas. I am happy to arrange passports given I have their birth cetificates." Wrong - I'd have to get his permission anyway.

No thanks to both.

There must be some fuckery coming my way. I hope it's D papers. That's the kind of fuckery I like!

Meh. There's not really anything he could do that would touch me at this stage. It's all been done.

[This message edited by StrongButBroken at 2:47 AM, September 26th (Thursday)]

This is how mine usually does it:

He tries to bait me. I don't bite.

He pushes some obvious buttons. I don't bite.

He starts to get frantic and hysterical and really amps up the bullying. I don't respond.

He gives up and goes away. Until the next time.

Yes, this is a pattern of X, too...I think of it like an ebb and flow.

What I'm learning is, to enjoy the "sound of silence" because it means he's busy with OW and the alternate universe.