In a charming story out of Chicago, IL, 28-year-old Mary Holden made a plan with her ex to get coffee thinking it would be nice.
“After eight months apart I thought a little coffee date would be easy and low-stakes,” Jenna told us, forgetting how feelings work. “Like, if I’m made all this healing progress while not seeing him, then seeing him should now be fine.”
“It was so good to see he’s doing well,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. “He seems exactly the same even though our lives are completely different and no longer intimately entwined.”
Jenna assured us that it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders now that she’s seen him in person and not just in her dreams, social media feed and photos from her phone.
“I can finally go about my day without wondering what he’s up to!” she said. “Instead I have a very clear mental picture of how handsome he still is, how great work is going and how much we continue to have in common!”
When asked for input, Jenna’s best friend Andrew said, “It was a stupid idea. She’s not gonna get over this for weeks.”
Jenna’s mom, who less than a year earlier helped her move out of the apartment she shared with her ex, echoed a similar sentiment.
“That piece of shit doesn’t deserve a second more of my daughter’s time,” she said. “Who invented the concept of getting coffee with an ex? They should be held accountable for their crimes.”
But despite what her friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances and the general public have to say, Jenna is confident in her choice to casually meet up with the man with whom she spent three years building a life.
“What’s the alternative? Act like we shattered each other’s hearts within the last year and avoid one another until it doesn’t hurt so much?”
When we said “Um, yeah,” Jenna shook her head in dismay.
“I just think it’s really unhealthy to cut people out of your life solely because the mention of their name makes you cry and looking at their face feels like sticking pieces of glass in your eyes,” she said.
We followed up with Jenna a few weeks after her chill coffee date and she confirmed she is doing better than ever.
“I don’t regret a thing! I came down with a cold or something after our meetup that kept me from getting out of bed for about 5 days, but other than that, I’ve been great!”
When asked if she had any plans to casually meet up with her ex for another coffee any time soon, Jenna exhaled for a full thirty seconds and asked for a glass of water.
