Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about this fella I been datin’. Been a whole year now, and things ain’t been too bad, ya know? He’s a decent sort, mostly. But Lord have mercy, this man keeps callin’ me by another woman’s name! Can you believe that?
It’s like, who the heck is Sarah? That ain’t my name! My name’s Martha, plain and simple. Not hard to remember, is it? I ain’t no fancy city gal with a name you can’t pronounce. It gets under my skin, I tell ya. Makes me wonder what’s goin’ on in that head of his.
- He says he loves me.
- He brings me flowers sometimes.
- He even fixed that leaky faucet in the kitchen.
But then, out of the blue, he’ll be lookin’ right at me and say, “Sarah, honey, can you pass the salt?” It just makes a body feel all sorts of wrong.
I tried talkin’ to him about it, of course. Asked him straight out, “Who in tarnation is Sarah?” He just gets all flustered and says it’s an accident, a slip of the tongue. Says he don’t mean nothin’ by it. But how many times can a man “accidentally” call you by the wrong name?
Makes me think maybe he’s still hung up on this Sarah woman. Maybe she was somethin’ special, ya know? Maybe they had somethin’ I ain’t got. It’s enough to make a woman feel insecure, that’s for sure. I ain’t gettin’ any younger, and I ain’t got time for games.
I told him, “Look here, mister, you gotta get this straight. I’m Martha, not Sarah. If you can’t remember that, maybe we ain’t meant to be.” He just looks at me with those puppy dog eyes and promises he’ll do better. And for a while, he does. But then, BAM! He does it again. It’s like a bad penny, always turnin’ up when you least expect it.
Now, some folks say it don’t mean nothin’. They say it’s just a habit, somethin’ he’s gotta unlearn. Maybe somethin’ triggered him, ya know? Like seein’ a picture or hearin’ a song. But how do I know for sure? How do I know he ain’t dreamin’ of Sarah when he’s holdin’ me close at night?
I asked my friend, Agnes, about it. She’s been married three times, so she knows a thing or two about men. She said maybe he ain’t over his ex, and I ought to just dump him. But I don’t wanna do that. Like I said, he’s a decent fella, mostly. And we have some good times, when he ain’t callin’ me by the wrong name.
Agnes also said maybe I should just correct him every time he does it. Just say, “It’s Martha,” real firm like, and don’t let it slide. I tried that too, but it don’t seem to be workin’. He apologizes, sure, but then he does it again a few days later. It’s like talkin’ to a brick wall sometimes.
I even looked up some stuff online, ya know, on that internet thing my grandson showed me. Said sometimes it just means he’s got a strong memory of that other relationship. Said it don’t necessarily mean he’s still in love with her. But how’s a body supposed to know for sure? These city folks with their fancy words, they don’t understand what it’s like in the real world. Out here, things are simpler. A man calls you by your name, and that’s that.
I guess what I’m tryin’ to say is, it’s confusin’. It makes me feel bad, like I’m second best or somethin’. And I don’t know what to do about it. Do I stay and keep hopin’ he’ll get it right? Or do I cut my losses and find a man who can remember my name? It ain’t easy, bein’ a woman, especially when your fella keeps callin’ you by someone else’s name. It makes you feel like you ain’t worth rememberin’, and that ain’t a good feelin’ at all.
Maybe I’ll give him one more chance. But if he calls me Sarah one more time, I’m packin’ my bags and movin’ back in with my sister. She might be a handful, but at least she knows my name!
Tags: [Relationship Problems, Boyfriend, Ex’s Name, Confusion, Insecurity, Communication, Advice]
