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What Happens When You Find Out Your Ex Just Died
No hyperbole, just lessons learned from processing the experience
I got a text from a friend from college who I hadn’t spoken to in a few years. We exchanged pleasantries, doing the usual “How’s life in a global pandemic” exchange, and then she asked me if I had heard the news about one of my ex’s, who we’ll call Beth (obviously not her real name). I definitely hadn’t heard the news as we don’t run in the same social circles, but given the title of this piece, you are assuming right — Beth died yesterday.
To get this out of the way, given the times we’re in, no, it wasn’t COVID. I know people who have died from COVID, but this was not one of those cases. My friend didn’t have all the details (she’s friends with Beth’s friends), but apparently it was some sort of disease and not an accident that took her life.
I had no idea how to react, as Beth and I hadn’t necessarily broken up on great terms. At the time we were dating, I was still hung up on a different ex, and Beth and I were definitely not a good fit for one another. While we didn’t split on good terms, I had the emotional awareness of a sentient log and was fairly indifferent to her leaving my life. She didn’t seem too broken up about it either, so I assumed the feelings were mutual.
