The Other Woman

The "other" woman is often simply a choice by a male who should have  known better, or at least, by a man who neglected to go about the matter in a rightful manner. Love, even illicit love, is a complex situation, and there are emotions all 'round. But for some reason, society blames the woman part of the scenario, as  the perpetrator of evil, while the male gets off as having been entrapped. Is that because a female is the "weaker" of the sexes, and less likely, in the minds of the offended, to retaliate? "Oh, the poor man was simply tempted by the wiles of that wicked woman" or "Poor fellow; he fell into her tender trap." You've heard the same stories, no doubt. But sad as it may be, especially if the situation breaks up a marriage, off-limits affairs are not someone falling into a trap. Someone walked into it. It's  a time to ask "why" rather than flinging blame about. There is always a reason, even if it seems unreasonable or illogical. But those who are hurt, angry and upset are too emotional to stop to  examine the causes. And there always are causes. Things are said and done in the heat of rejection feelings on all sides, that can become indelible. And while later on, when the matter is thought out and the remaining shards are sorted out, some sort of closure is finally achieved. Or should be. One example I will use because the parties are gone, was that of the relationship of an older couple who lived nearby.  Both he and she were widowed and lonely. They met and eventually decided to live together lovingly. Everyone in the neighborhood was pleased to see these two elders happy once again. They smiled and waved as they walked hand in hand down the street. They spoke lovingly and respectfully of their former partners, but their children, now grown well into adulthood, were not as generous. Behaving like spoiled youngsters having tantrums, they ranted and blamed especially the woman, as taking advantage of their father. They accused her of robbing them of "their" family home and their mother's things that had been promised to them. The poor couple felt attacked and tried to allay the fears, but the family couldn't seem to understand that the home was not theirs. It was their father's, and the possessions within it, were his, not theirs. The woman in the house had no intention of not seeing that they got their mother's "things". She loved the man, their father, and not what he "had". The family even broke into the home when the couple was away, and absconded with many of their mother's items. It was theft! Not content to do that, they gossiped about the woman and tried to ruin her reputation. It didn't work because no one in the small town regarded the new relationship as anything but a joy for each of the elders. The couple forded on, however, and did marry, but the man's family continued to thrash about and make trouble constantly. It didn't work because the couple enjoyed many years together and  found that in their love, they renewed an interest in travelling and having many unique experiences they wouldn't have ventured to do if they were alone. The Other Woman is just a woman loving the man who chose her. Love comes in all ages.