I dated him for twelve years. I remember the exact day I met him- April 1, 2000. I just remembered that April 1st is April Fools' Day. Now it all makes sense, he was my April Fools because he was such a joke. I can't believe I stayed with him that long. Twelve years I wasted when I could have been with a real man who treated me like a queen; or even better, I could have been happily single and ready to mingle. To h*ll with anyone who would think something was wrong with me if I didn't date for a while. I realized that I would rather be single and happy than be the most miserable woman on earth because her boyfriend of twelve years was a joke.

Now that I think about it, I can only count five times that we actually went out and all of them was where he wanted to go. Interacting with his family was out of the question. I only met a few of his family members four times. I was confused then, but now I know why. He didn't want me to find out that he had seven kids and had been married and divorced five times. And yes, he had other girlfriends... honestly, I already knew about them. Something in me just wanted to believe that I was the only one. He hit me a couple of times too, gave me a black eye and busted my lip. He got away with so much because I was weak, dependent, and naive all in one. But when that twelfth year came, my mind, body, and soul started its own revolution! I finally opened my eyes to see that he was never going to change and I needed to move on.

I laugh every time I think about the day we broke up- April 1, 2012. He went to work early that morning and wouldn't be back until eleven o'clock that night. I called in sick at my job and started packing right after. I didn't have to worry about furniture because all of mine was in storage. I had been transferring it to countless companies throughout the years because he thought his was better and I was willing to sacrifice anything for him. He never even helped me pay for any of the fees. So anyways, I packed my clothes, shoes, and a few more things, and by twelve o'clock noon, I was ready to get out of that h*ll hole.

If we had broken up a few years back, I probably would have wrote him a letter and left it on his bed, but not now. I wanted to look him in his eyes and tell him. I ran a few personal errands, then I waited six hours for him to come home. I bet he was with another woman, but it didn't matter now.

I watched his car pull in the driveway from the living room window. I ran to what used to be our bedroom and sat on his bed. I couldn't help but shake and my heart was racing. I heard the front door open and then shut. I started to breathe harder than a child with asthma. I knew he saw my bags because I put them right beside the front door. He called out my name, I told him I was in the bedroom. I heard his footsteps on the stairs, they gradually became louder and closer. As his feet left the stairs, I heard them walk through the hallway and to the bedroom, the door opens...

He looked at me and I looked at him. He asked me what was in the bags and why were they there. I got straight to the point and released everything that had been building up inside me for twelve years; I didn't let him get one word in. After I was finished, he laughed at me. He said I needed to come up with a better April Fools joke if I wanted him to clap and yell "brava". I told him he'll see what's a joke and what's not in a few seconds. I walked back downstairs, got my bags, and left. As I loaded my car, I had flashbacks of all my lonely nights, our arguments, him not coming home, and me crying myself to sleep hoping the next day would be better. I started to smile because I realized that I was cutting off dead weight that had been clinging to me for twelve years. I used to wonder if he really did care about me. I got my confirmation when he didn't do anything to keep me from walking out that door, but then again, I wasn't surprised. The day of April 1st is bitter-sweet for me. It's the day I met a complete jerk, but it's also the day I walked out of that jerk's life once and for all! Don't get me wrong, I wish him all the best and so much more. I just hope he came to his senses and figured out that me leaving him wasn't a joke, but as real as real can get.