People break up for a reason

I used to be good friends with a guy named Sean; a blunt Irish Bostonian who could always be counted on to call a spade a spade. His BS detector provided spot on insight and identification of any crap being peddled; he would provide relentlessly straightforward advice to we foolish girls being spoon fed lines extraordinaire by the loser of the month we happened to be dating. Of course in the moment the advice was resented and discounted, but in retrospect we nearly grimaced in disgust over the wisdom of his words and the foolishness displayed. One of the smartest things Sean ever said to me was in regard to a mutual female friend recently dumped by her cassanovaesque lover (who had been seeing her and forty other girls on the side). Out at the local watering whole a mere two nights after said heartbreak, we caught them on the dance floor playing tonsil hockey. "Whaat is that crap?" he spewed. "Didn't he dump her?" "Oh yes, but he wants to stay friends". I explained to Sean as if that was sufficient justification for our friend's ridiculous display. Over Starbucks that same morning, our friend tearfully reviewed the break up, and our dime store assessment was that the break up was due to her exes fear of commitment and rejection, and that he just needed "time" to be sure of her affection; he loved her that much. And then we were off to buy some beach front property in Arizona, fools that we were. Willing to by any sophmoric line presented by a guy (due to, um, yes I shall say it, DESPERATION) smart enough to realize how he could have his cake and it too, along with a dozen glazed donuts and chocolate brownies as well. Sean's observation raised my defensive caucles due to it's accuracy and disdain. He was on the verge of yet another brilliant assessment, and instead of busitng out a steno pad and writing notes, I began to get angry. Sean began "They call it a break up for a reason. When people break up, that means they stop communicating, hanging out, seeing each other for an extended period of time. " Again when I tried to correct his perspective, I was shut down instantaneously by one sentence. "Elizabeth, he basically told her she wasn't good enough to be committed to, and how she is acting validates her acceptance of his treatment, that she is however good enough to sleep with". I could not say another word. My face turned bright scarlet and I stormed away in self righteous indignation. Years have passed since I have seen Sean, but I swear if I ever run into him again I will give him a big hug and thank him for the words of wisdom it took me ten years to acknowledge and ultimately follow. However I am still trying to off load that beach fron desert property.