April, I get where you’re coming from. And I won’t lie, I have some wonderful memories with both of the ladies mentioned. The way those years were wasted is that I thought I was working toward a common goal. In hindsight, it’s easy to see that these women didn’t want to leave their spouses, couldn’t blame them. The problem was that they let me believe that there was an end goal of being together. I believed them. So instead of enjoying the affair for what it was, I became focused on an outcome that wasn’t going to happen. What I should have done is communicate better and call bullshit when I see it. The other thing I should have done was like the Stones’ song and have No Expectations. In the end, I’m glad I was able to be with them in that way, I just wish I hadn’t been lead to believe in an unobtainable fantasy. My approach would have been different, kinda like when I run a road race. I want to have a good race but have no expectations regarding medaling a race. Cheers and thanks for the thoughtful comment.