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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask what is going on and whether it could work ?

87 replies

lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:06

To ask you what is going on and whether this can work ?
Please be gentle . I’m posting here for traffic but I’m very confused and fragile . I’ve been divorced 3 years after a 27 year marriage . During most of those years there was no physical relationship and I threw myself into looking after my kids ( mainly teens but also a 10 ye old ) after the divorce and was not looking for a man .
Then I met someone online and from the very beginning we hit it off and seemed compatible in all respects . He lives on the other side of the world and timings are hard and I’m quite exhausted from hours on the phone at odd times during the day and night .
We can talk about anything .
He intends to sell his business and was in the middle of doing so when we met . Has been divorced 3 times .
For various reasons I know his grown up kids who live here vaguely. His plan befire he met me was to come to the UK to retire ( I’m 55 and he’s 65) so timing is perfect ( Corina has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works as he wanted to come before end 2020 but who knows if he’ll make it here then now .
He talks of marrying me . Born of us do . It’s that strong yet we’ve known each other only 4 weeks .
My problem is thst this has turned very sexual and I find myself doing and saying things I would never in a million years have done 4 weeks ago . It is getting more and more intense by phone and going further and further .
Because I’ve been out of the dating scene for decades I don’t know if this is normal or if he may be using me from miles away for gratification. In the beginning we talked about other things too but he was always flirting and quite openly would admit he’s flirting but now we talk about almost nothing but this intense physical desire for each other .
It can’t honestly be love after 4 weeks so is this just lust ? Has anyone had relationships that went this way and worked or should I reconcile myself to the fact that he may never get here or have any real intention to marry me but is letting it go further and further as it’s too exciting . Already I can see he’s not a bad man and not misleading me purposely but he does get over e excited and say things he doesn’t then do or carry out .
He also constantly talks about his long marriage and fact that ex hated sex and that’s why he’s a bit over the top with me to try to reassure himself that this time it’ll be normal . He does constantly talk negative about his dx but usually in the area of sex .
I’m just confused as this man literally has hypnotic power over me - I lose myself in our conversations until my head swims and I don’t want to fall further in love with him if this is all a farce .
He sends me flowers and links to love songs and professes undying love but I’m so confused

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 03/11/2020 23:07

Four weeks? Three divorces? Two different continents? One massive mistake! Don't do it!

FingersCrossedForAllOfUs · 03/11/2020 23:12

Be very careful OP. Don’t commit to anything and don’t spend any money on him or give him money.
Maybe say that you want to take things a bit slower because you are both getting carried away.

CutCopyPastedLikeYou · 03/11/2020 23:14

No no no. Stop contact. This is too much too soon and it's never going to work. Step away, regroup and learn from this.

JetBlackSteed · 03/11/2020 23:21

I'd caution you to be very wary. Don't be doing anything online via photo / video that you don't want others to see. They sell them on.
And don't give him any money either.

lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:26

Ok money he doesn’t need . The opposite . He’s very very wealthy . I do know this for a fact
But ouch as to selling photos online . We have gone quite far .
I don’t think he’s doing anything intentionally bad . If anything it’s a wrong psyche for me as he seemed to want to set up a pattern of him supporting me through my post divorce recovery and setting himself up as a support network and keeps wanting to buy me jewellery , art etc . I refuse everything as I don’t want my kids to know about the relationship yet and they’d obviously find out . @CutCopyPastedLikeYou why do you say never work because too much too soon ?

OP posts:
lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:27

@FingersCrossedForAllOfUs I’ve tried . But it always comes back to very intense phone calls in both sides . Is it just lust or can things start this way ?

OP posts:
PastMyBestBeforeDate · 03/11/2020 23:28

He is love bombing I think. That's a red flag. Too intense and you need to step away.

lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:35

@PastMyBestBeforeDate meaning it could turn to abuse ?

OP posts:
PastMyBestBeforeDate · 03/11/2020 23:38

Yes. Absolutely :(

DrizzleandDamp · 03/11/2020 23:38

Step away STEP AWAY.

Online dating can get stupid intense, I met one guy who was just like this, fell head over heels fast, had phone sex before meeting (idiot I don’t do that), full on. We met, was just bloody odd, no real spark and he’s has some serious addiction issues. We are actually still friends oddly but it’s a pattern he repeats again and again and can’t see it.

This guy had been divorced 3 times, he’s in love in 4 weeks. It’s not real, it’s fantasy, you’re going to get hurt or worse.

1Morewineplease · 03/11/2020 23:41

A big 'NO' from me.
As another pp said, he's lovebombing you, for a reason.
How do you know that he's very wealthy?

lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:43

@DrizzleandDamp this sounds like what’s happened here .
I can’t just walk away though because there is a small chance this could work .
It’s almost like hypnotism . The minute he starts to talk and talk I’m somewhere else . It’s never happened to me and whilst it feels magical and wonderful I keep getting these huge reality checks and think that while he’s saying he wants to marry me he can’t really mean that after 4 weeks and that he’s just building castles in the clouds

OP posts:
user1473878824 · 03/11/2020 23:44

OP. read your post back and really concentrate on the timeline, and imagine your friend was telling you this.

user1473878824 · 03/11/2020 23:44

Cross posted with your last post. I’m sorry but I would say it’s 99.9% a castle in the clouds.

FingersCrossedForAllOfUs · 03/11/2020 23:46

Is it just lust or can things start this way ?
I think it is lust and he is drawing you in with the intensity of it all.

Take a big step back and look at this as if you were talking to a friend in this situation.

  1. You’ve known him for 4 weeks.
  2. It has got very intense and sexual already.
  3. He has been married 3 times.
  4. He wants to marry you yet he’s known you for only 4 weeks - This would be his 4th marriage.
  5. You live far apart and have never met.
  6. He is very critical of his ex wife particularly in terms of their sex life.
  7. You haven’t told your family about him - ask yourself why?

Think about this objectively, how many alarm bells is this setting off for you?

He is love bombing you as PP said.
Reduce contact and insist on slowing it all down and stop the sexual content of the talks. Get to know him much better. If he doesn’t want to do this end it now.

lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:49

@1Morewineplease I feel he may be love bombing me to persuade me to go further and further on the phone with him . Rather than to abuse me . Is that a thing ?
I know he’s wealthy as I’ve looked up his business and seen inside his apartment . I can also tell from our conversations . Ive spoke briefly to a woman he dated last time he was in the UK who said he was incredibly generous and lavish but regarding his personality etc she would only say that he was very sensitive . I can see that he is very sensitive and feels emotions deeply from our conversations

OP posts:
PastMyBestBeforeDate · 03/11/2020 23:50

It's not just he might not be wealthy but he's projecting an image of a person that doesn't exist. It's easy to keep that up temporarily. Once you've been hooked he can start introducing the controlling or abusive behaviour. You'll tell yourself you have this amazing connection so you'll overlook a couple of issues.
And slowly you sink into justifying everything...

Lampan · 03/11/2020 23:51

Be very, very wary of anyone who talks about a future when you haven’t even met. This is not the behaviour of a sane, rational person. Any normal person, even if they were very keen so early on, would have the awareness to keep it to themselves at this early stage to avoid pressuring you or scaring you away.
How do you know for a fact that he is wealthy? Is this based on what he has told you? Have you video called him or just spoken on the phone?
I don’t think anyone can know anybody else until you have met in the flesh several times in different situations, which obviously is not possible given your distance. I know it’s tempting to get swept away when someone seems keen and interested, but 4 weeks is no time at all and you must know something isn’t right or you would have told your kids and wouldn’t have posted on here.
How can he love you when you haven’t even met? Think about what you would advise a friend who was in your situation - I think you would be suspicious rather than excited for them. Surely if he is a catch in real life he could find a woman in his location, and I’m sure you could find a nice man in this country, they do exist!
And remember, even supposing he is exactly who he says he is, he could have terrible personal hygiene 😄 or other dealbreaking traits!
Step away from this, no good can come from it.

JetBlackSteed · 03/11/2020 23:51

You don't know he's very wealthy. But it's the one thing you can verify. Accept a gift of, say, diamonds, and get them valued at home.
You'll know then.

MLMbotsgoaway · 03/11/2020 23:51

OP what would you say if it was your daughter/son telling you this?

JamieLeeCurtains · 03/11/2020 23:52

You don't know anything.

You need to come up for air. This sounds so very wrong. I'm worried for you, genuinely.

seayork2020 · 03/11/2020 23:53

I would be running away from this as fast as I could, sorry but I am not going to be gentle you need to stop NOW!

lisalisa · 03/11/2020 23:53

@FingersCrossedForAllOfUs thNk you . When spelt out like that I can see it looks very off . But what is he hoping to gain ? Phone sex ? Proper phone sex ? Real sex when he comes to the UK? What do these things actually mean - that he’s very critical of his ex wife re sec particularly? Is he trying to soften me up ? I’m not usually clueless and have a very intellectual exacting career but really need help analysing this to see what he could be doing it for and what are the dangers before potentially throwing it away

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 03/11/2020 23:54

I mean this in the nicest way possible, but pull your head out of your arse.

This man is a walking red flag and he is definitely up to no good. Love bombing, future faking, the works. Very, very soon he will be asking you for money.

BLOCK HIM RIGHT NOW

Don't be a fool.

1Morewineplease · 04/11/2020 00:01

You've looked up his business... is it a bona fide business ? Anyone can put up a fake business website citing anything that you'd want to hear. eBay is full of them. As to photos of his apartment... well they're easily faked.
You've said that you've spoken to a woman that he's dated. How come? Why would you be talking to her? She might be a stooge .

I think at best , he's taking you for a fool. At worst, he might be grooming you.

Don't ever tell him your bank details.