Top 5 Most Heartbreaking Breakups, #1

#1 - Sara O.

Sara and I went to the same High School, but we were never in any classes together. I was in French Immersion so there was a bit of a divide between the 'English Muffins' and the 'French Fries'. (I don't know if that's what anybody else said, but I sure used it a lot)
We started dating because of a scheming mutual friend. She kept going on and on to me about Sara this, and Sara that, and kept pushing me to hang out with them when they were both going to a movie together. I agreed (2 girls and me? how could I refuse?) and was totally set-up. I met them at the theater, we watched our movie and then suddenly the mutual friend wasn't able to drive Sara home, so I offered. She bravely told me that she was totally crushing, so we started dating. This was during the summer before Grade 12, the summer of '98.
Our Grade 12 year together was phenomenal. We were so blissfully happy it was sickening. She totally dug me, and I totally worshipped her. I was so in sync with this amazing girl. We both had the same plans for the future, we both wanted the same things in life. It was true love.

Now, (ahem), everybody remembers their first time right? Most people have either an awkward story, or an embarrasingly short one to tell. I'm not going to tell mine, but I will say that Sara was my first, and we waited until we were both good and ready before doing anything. After that my mind, body, and soul were totally in love with this girl. We went to Grad/Prom together. We introduced our entire families to each other. I was going to be spending the rest of my life with this girl, or so I thought at the time.
As picture perfect as I'm making this all out to be, the relationship did have it's problems. We both went to different post secondary institutions. She was at a local college, and I was at one of the local Universities. When I reconnected with the ex-gf Natalie, but just as friends, Sara was none too impressed. I had to convince her that Nat was only a friend, and would only ever be a friend. I'm sure everyone has had this problem before. Things were all good though. Everybody got along when we all hung out together. I mean, we all went to the same High School, so she knew everything there was to know about these girls. It's not like I ever hung out with any of them alone. (Sara also had a problem with my friendship to TGP, but that all worked out in the end.)
The thing about Sara and I that I loved the most was the fact that we talked about everything, including our insecurities, with each other. If she felt threatened by my friendship with a girl, she let me know about it right away and we fixed it together. I don't think I ever had a problem with anything she ever did. I trusted her judgment on everything, and I felt that she loved me as much as I loved her, even if she did have trust issues with my friends.

I even bought her a diamond ring, to go with the diamond necklace and diamond earrings I had bought her the previous years. Just small diamonds mind you, I wasn't made of money and I'm still not. But I did pay a lot for the ring. It was a promise ring and I gave it to her on our '2 years together' anniversary. I was so committed to this girl. I haven't bought a girl anything as nice as I did for Sara.

She dropped the bomb on me on August 5th, 2002. I still remember time standing still, my arms and legs going numb, and the tears. She told me that she didn't like who she was when we were together and that she thought we should see other people. She carefully gave the ring back into my hands, and I just ran out of there (we were at her house). Just like that she dumped me, out of nowhere. No lead up, no bad spell of arguing with each other, nobody cheated. She was just done with me.

I was working the night shifts as a stock boy at the same grocery store that her Mom had worked at for years and years. I talked briefly to her Mom about what had happened as my last shift ended. Her Mom was so sweet, and still is, and told me to keep calling and not to give up. I tried calling her once, but she was cold and short with me.

I started working at the battery factory the next week, and people who remember me from when I started will tell you that I was one sad boy back in those days.

Sara got a job at my local video store, so I stopped renting movies when she was working. I couldn't bring myself to talk to her, she crushed my heart so badly. She was fired for giving away too many free rentals. Then she got a job around the corner at the local Starbucks, so I stopped going there too. Of course, Starbucks is everywhere so I still manage to buy myself a Passion Tea Lemonade whenever the weather turns nice.

I most recently saw Sara when her younger brother was graduating this past summer. A family friend was also in the same graduating class and my family was part of the cheering section. Her Mom was the only one who came up to talk to me, and express sympathy about how things turned out. My Mom wanted a picture of us (me and her Mom), and to be honest, it was the worst most awkward thing I ever had to do.

I don't avoid Sara anymore, but I don't see her as much as I used to. People always come up to me and say, "You'll never guess who I saw working at Starbucks" or "Guess who I just ran into the other day at Save-on?". The answer is always the same, but I just let my mind shut off and don't think about it too much, in case the hurt returns.