I just read an article in The New York Times SundayStyles section about a man and a woman who met at an event at their kids’ school, became friends (as did their spouses), went on family vacations together, couldn’t stop thinking of each other when they were apart, professed their mutual love one night in a bar, left their spouses and married.
She is Carol Anne Riddell, 44, a former local TV reporter in NY. He is John Partilla, 46, soon to be COO of an ad agency. “The part that’s hard for people to believe is we didn’t have an affair,” Carol Anne said in the article. “I didn’t want to sneak around and sleep with him on the side. I wanted to get up in the morning and read the paper with him.” You are a saint, Carol Anne.
The "loving" couple met four years ago. The little girl in John Boy's hands doesn't look like she's four. Whose daughter is she? And look at the older gentleman in the back. He looks like he's saying: "I can't believe I'm here."
Their collective children (there are five) were “devastated” and their spouses “distraught,” the piece says. But Carol Anne and John Boy were “soul mates,” so they were “brave enough to hold hands and jump.” Brave enough? Do you believe this. BRAVE ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to devastate their children.
I understand that people fall in love outside their marriages all the time. I did, and I left my husband and hurt my two little kids when I was 41. But why in God’s name would these two uncontrollably narcissistic people agree to a newspaper interview and subject their former spouses and children to the pain all over again? “I will always feel terribly about the pain I caused my ex husband. My kids are going to look and me and know that I am flawed and not perfect, but also deeply in love,” Carol Anne said.
Who cares whether you’re “deeply in love?” You’re deeply pathetic. You both turned my stomach by flaunting yourselves the way you have.
And why would The New York Times feature this couple in its wedding section? There are thousands of great couples failing in love and getting married who have far more interesting and uplifting stories to tell about their unions.
0 Responses to “Carol Anne and John Boy oh Boy!”
Sharon Nord says:
My Father was a very wise man and he always said to me, “don’t ever confuse money with class”. Classless.
I found this very interesting. I do agree with Geri and Toby. This is very sad. But what is really sad is that the “silly” and the “sad” will never go away…no matter how old they may be. I have been married for 50 years. Like every other husband and wife there were temptations but in the end we both made the right decision. I think our family has benefited from our devotion to each other.
Yes. I read this little bit of ‘oh, isn’t this just the cutest thing!” wedding write up in the Times, too. And the thought that rant through my head was ‘What ever happened to people saying to themselves, “Yes, I know I’m just attracted like crazy to this person but I’m married to someone. I’ve made a commitment to that person and to my children, so that’s really important to me and I’m just going to say ‘no’ to myself. I’m a grown up person; I can do that.”
I don’t know what it is (a worldwide case of Wallis and Edward/I can’t live without the woman I love? Who knows?), but to me, this is totally nuts. Being an adult means (a lot of times) that we get the privilege of saying ‘no’ to ourselves. Yes, we get to say ‘yes’ too. But being adult means that we have responsibilities and obligations and that means a lot of times the decision, in order to be something where loyal spouses and children can live with, must be ‘no’. I know there are people out there who will disagree with me but that’s my thing and I’m sticking to it.
0 Responses to “Carol Anne and John Boy oh Boy!”
Sharon Nord says:
My Father was a very wise man and he always said to me, “don’t ever confuse money with class”. Classless.
b says:
I found this very interesting. I do agree with Geri and Toby. This is very sad. But what is really sad is that the “silly” and the “sad” will never go away…no matter how old they may be. I have been married for 50 years. Like every other husband and wife there were temptations but in the end we both made the right decision. I think our family has benefited from our devotion to each other.
b
http://wwww.retireinstyleblog.com
Toby Wollin says:
Yes. I read this little bit of ‘oh, isn’t this just the cutest thing!” wedding write up in the Times, too. And the thought that rant through my head was ‘What ever happened to people saying to themselves, “Yes, I know I’m just attracted like crazy to this person but I’m married to someone. I’ve made a commitment to that person and to my children, so that’s really important to me and I’m just going to say ‘no’ to myself. I’m a grown up person; I can do that.”
I don’t know what it is (a worldwide case of Wallis and Edward/I can’t live without the woman I love? Who knows?), but to me, this is totally nuts. Being an adult means (a lot of times) that we get the privilege of saying ‘no’ to ourselves. Yes, we get to say ‘yes’ too. But being adult means that we have responsibilities and obligations and that means a lot of times the decision, in order to be something where loyal spouses and children can live with, must be ‘no’. I know there are people out there who will disagree with me but that’s my thing and I’m sticking to it.