Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Woman from America staying at my boyfriends place

649 replies

Whenthepartysover · 17/08/2023 10:01

Me and my boyfriend have been together two years. I am 23 and he is 27. I am currently at uni in Leeds but I go to his at the weekends in Manchester.

He is a bit of an artsy type, he is a graphic designer and a freelance photographer. He writes poetry and has an Instagram account where he uploads all of his poems and short videos of spoken word. It's a bit of a community and he speaks to lots of people on the platform. He has been speaking to this woman now for a while. I didn't really have a problem with it because she lives in America and is married with 5 children. Plus I trust my boyfriend and try to be rational about things.

She told him she was taking a trip to the UK alone and he asked me if I would mind if she stayed with him so that she could save on accommodation and also have someone there who she knows and trusts. I said it was ok. I don't know why I said this.. I honestly felt ok about it at the time.

All the plans were made and he picked her up from the airport on a Sunday evening and I went back to uni. On Monday I was sat in my uni room alone studying and I text him to ask what he was up to. He said he had taken 'Claire' to the park and they were lay around on the grass. I immediately felt a rush of emotion imagining him strolling through the park with this woman. I couldn't control it I got very upset. I think it was because I was just sat there alone and he was with another woman. I trusted that he wouldn't do anything bad or disrespectful but I suddenly just felt very uncomfortable and like I was a bit of a mug. I tried not to tell him how I felt because what's done is done, she's here now. Nothing I can do. I just didn't realise that he would be out doing things with her. I thought he was just providing her a spare room to stay.

I did end up telling him how upset I was and he said "I did worry that this would happen". We ended up having an argument and I know that I am the one being unreasonable here. I said something was ok and then changed my mind once it happened. That's not his fault. I said I'd prefer it if he let her get on with things on her own. He was saying that it's unfair as she is in an unfamiliar country on her own and doesn't want to abandon her, and his mum agrees. Anyway she ended up staying in a hotel the next night.

It came to the weekend and I went to his. At this point she was in a hotel. I said I wanted to spend the weekend doing nice things together after our argument and just try to sort it out. I got to his to find an ovulation stick in his bathroom bin. Is it just me or is that weird? I don't know what is happening in her life. She may be struggling with conceiving and is being very strict with tracking. She already has 5 children though but that's none of my business. I just find it a bit rude to take an ovulation test and put it in the bin that's wide open. I would've wrapped it up and chucked it in the outside bin if I was in someone else's house. The bin doesn't have a lid. It's one of those bins you'd have in your bedroom but in the bathroom (he's a guy so never really had anything to put in it). I was a bit annoyed about it because I felt like she was taking the piss. But I tried to move past it and have a nice weekend. However he was just on his phone constantly replying to her texts while we were out. We had another argument and I have gone home to my mum's and we haven't spoken since.

I don't know where to go from here. I know this is my fault. But I really need some outside perspective on this. How would you feel? Do I even have a right to be upset? Do we just wait for her to go back home and then try and move past it or is it the end of the relationship? I'm trying to think logically and rationally without heightened feelings of jealousy in the way. But it's hard.

OP posts:
Ricochetsandwhich · 18/08/2023 11:23

Good luck today op, you’ve been in my thoughts.

I’m with the majority that see her motives as questionable at best. It will be good for you to spend time with them both this evening and take it from there.

Sandra1984 · 18/08/2023 11:27

@Ricochetsandwhich It will be good for you to spend time with them both this evening and take it from there.

Bring a weapon 😂 (just kiddin)

Butterflyfluff · 18/08/2023 11:51

OP please don’t contact this man again.

From what you have said, there is zero chance that he isn’t having sex with this woman.

If she really does have 5 kids and lives in America, they can’t be together long term so this is their ‘time’ and she’ll go home and they’ll continue their long distance soul searching thinking they’re Romeo and Juliet and are kindred spirits but the world must keep them apart.

He’ll be back in touch with you when she’s gone no doubt - don’t be that door mat.

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 18/08/2023 12:31

MsDogLady · 18/08/2023 06:30

@Whenthepartysover, AmericanWoman sees your BF as her Soulmate, and lying in the grass with him must have been her Nirvana.

She flew over specifically to be with him. He knew this and facilitated it, as he is invested in the intense ego massages that she provides him. He duped you by misrepresenting her travel plans and reason for visiting.

They’ve bonded over her worship and their common interests during their constant contact of 6 months, particularly during the ‘long, deep conversations in the night,’ when she shared details of her unhappy marriage and he played her KISA.

So far they’ve been engaged in an emotional affair, but I would assume it’s now become physical. Her planting the ovulation stick speaks volumes.

@Whenthepartysover, his treatment of you has been exceedingly disrespectful and manipulative: building an illicit intimate cyber relationship with AmericanWoman; colluding with her to be together for a week; deceiving you initially; creating distance via his anger and blame-shifting when you voiced your reasonable concerns; and prioritizing AmericanWoman during your weekend. Even before this, his egocentrism and self-absorption have caused you to grieve for the earlier version of your relationship.

Yes, breaking up would be gutting, but the alternative is being reduced by a perpetually self-serving man who seeks and thrives on the adoration of multiple women. Don’t you deserve much, much better?

This! and I'm now picturing Man Bun/guitar as a sort of Russell Brand.
The poetry inspired is v funny by the way. Sorry I can only do prose.

I actually think that there are bigger issues than just this woman staying but I think it may have brought things to a head. Sometimes people can't see them until they accumulate - so its not your fault. You mustn't blame yourself, but I think you are now seeing a bigger picture.

I know this is the opposite of looking on the bright side, but I think it does jump out at you if you take out the provisos and justifications for his behaviour and just list it then its quite illuminating.

I have quite low confidence .
Sometimes he can be selfish and self absorbed yes,
And if I bring it up he will apologise and plan a nice weekend for us.
But then He does end up falling back inside his own head.
He lives in his own artist world.
Visit to my grandparents ...the whole time he hardly spoke and it was super uncomfortable.
He was in such an odd mood.
He wanted to be at home working on his book. (that he's spent 10 years on so hardly urgent!)
Times that I've gone back to uni and spent an hour crying because I feel like the relationship isn't like it was a year ago

If you look at this list without the supportive comments you've made ( because you are a nice person and trying to be fair) it adds up and this is before Ovulation Stick came to stay. Your conclusion is that the relationship isn't what it was a year ago. Like many others I think you should listen to what your gut is telling you,.

I didn't know which column to put the "Encourages me to always do my best" comment in.
It could be a positive or it could be reminding you that your present performance could be improved on. I know that sounds quite negative, but it just reminds me of how crap relatives spoke to me when told I did something well. "DBS got a really good mark for this work! "Now you have found out how to get a good mark you can work even harder and get a better one" - I don't know if this is how it came across and so I could be wrong but it could be seen as patronising and blooming obvious advice from the so much wiser, is this advice connected to how he has overcome hurdles in his artistic life and therefore connecting everything back to himself. etc. I admit This could be sheer imagination on my part but it's just how I hear it from how you've described him and because of hearing it from pompous relatives I suppose.

OhComeOnFFS · 18/08/2023 12:43

HowlingAtTheM00n · 18/08/2023 11:03

@determinedtomakethiswork many men like this.. I think you mean men in general. I have a very large circle of male friends and theres a slim minority that would brush off another females advances

I think that's unfair, tbh.

But in the OP's case, I meant the poetry-writing, bun-wearing, novel-writing, never-fucking-finishing-anything, talking-about-himself-constantly, type, rarely passes up the opportunity to have his ego flattered and his body worshipped.

AramintaLee · 18/08/2023 12:56

Hi OP. Only just read this for the first time just now and as soon as I read about the ovulation stick I thought "well, that's a woman who is planning on having sex and not get pregnant". I'm really sorry but if not your BF, who else is she planning on having sex with seeing as she doesn't know anyone else? Whether or not it actually happened you won't know unless he confesses, but people don't generally track their ovulation for no reason 😬

He is gaslighting you and will probably start on the "you're just insecure/paranoid" narrative before long. Trust your gut on this one. You're right to feel uncomfortable. A woman has flown to the UK to shag your BF and he has arranged it under your nose because you're clearly a nice person who didn't want to initially appear unaccomodating.

nillionaire · 18/08/2023 13:01

LuciaPillson · 18/08/2023 01:19

Impressed with how much poetry this thread has spawned - may I?

clears throat

American bird with 5 (spurious?) kids
Avers her relationship is on the skids,
So comes to see ManBunDick in the UK,
"I've purchased my ticket, now where shall I stay?"
Yanketta and ManBun's Mancunian idyll
Has made OP think they are taking the piddle.
They've texted all night and they've texted all day,
So have they or have they not had it away?
She's peed on a stick which she's left in the bin
But has she said "I thought you said she was thin"?*

*Bridget Jones reference 😁

Haha 😂😂

Sourcherriesarebest · 18/08/2023 13:05

Oh God, OP, I totally had the same type as you when I was at uni! Man-buns, guitars, song-writing (if you haven't seen the scene in Barbie where the Kens make them listen to Their Songs That They Wrote on the beach, you probably haven't realised what a fucking CLICHE all this behaviour is... I think it's probably the funniest male cliche skewered in the film, probably because Greta Gerwig has known a lot of these arty, But My Art, I Knew You Didn't REALLY Understand (chorus: Not The Way Claire Does, Oh Yeah) types.

The irony is that I went on to have a much more successful media career than them (But That's Different Because Stuff, Plus Misogyny Cos I'm A Girl And Thus Not Deep) but they are all still hairy paunchy Jesus types who are massive stoners and still get together to talk about gigs and the ladies that stayed with them facilitate...!

RUN AWAY AND FIND AN ACCOUNTANT CALLED GAVIN WHO LIKES ORDINARY THINGS.

I'd say helping Claire out with the old babysitting will soon kick him out of the clouds...

KJ00 · 18/08/2023 14:49

Women who use ovulation sticks are trying to get pregnant. She's not going to be sleeping with her husband who she dosent get along with this week is she? Who who is she sleeping with?
You can get pregnant 5 days before ovulation and 1 day after .. if she has sex in the 5 days before she has a chance. Even if her test is positive it can take upto a few days for the egg to get released. So without proper monitoring scans blood tests you really can't pin point it. Even then they can't pinpoint it to the exact day. They can just take their best guess. ( I'm saying that as someone who's going through fertility treatment and done oi tracking at clinic)
I'd say Claire fancies getting herself knocked up by a British man .
Don't be so naive and gullible to think she came to Manchester to sight see yet all she's done is lay around on the grass with someone else's boyfriend .
Those two clearly have a bond and planned on meeting each other , be it for whatever reason.
Why would you even bother going to see him this weekend , even if its not romantic look at the red flags even before Claire came into the picture. Don't stand by this arsehole just because you have low confidence. What is he doing? He said he knew it would happen so why isn't he telling her to go to the hotel like she originally planned. Why dosent he just tell her go do her own thing , after all she wanted to see Manchester. But no he's not, instead he's spending all his time with her. She's lonely mother of 5 kids who's clearly miserable in her marriage. She's 100% enjoying his attention and he should see that an back off. Him talking to her all day long all night long is giving her the wrong impression weather he knows it or not.
Does he realise what opks are for ? Does it not strike him as odd someone who's not with her husband doing an ovulation test ? It's the most bizarre thing to pack in a suitcase.
She could be trying to trap him with a pregnancy

momonpurpose · 18/08/2023 17:59

HowlingAtTheM00n · 18/08/2023 11:00

@momonpurpose I've never heard of anyone using an opk to prevent pregnancy. How would that even make sense ? You can get pregnant in the 5 days leading upto it

I can yell you I used hundreds....to get pregnant!

tzb · 18/08/2023 18:26

Girl, how is this your fault??? Leave that guy immediately because what he did by inviting this woman to his house is already disrespectful. Period!! You deserve better!!

Showdogworkingdog · 18/08/2023 18:32

Screamingabdabz · 17/08/2023 10:25

Ahh op. He’s taking the piss. I’d walk away and wish him well. You’re young - don’t waste your life being messed about like this by some man-bun dick.

This. She’s clearly not here to see Manchester is she? Sounds like she’s infatuated with him and his poetry and he’s encouraging it. He’s a dick, leave him to get on with it.

Vinomummyinlockdown · 18/08/2023 18:34

Is she looking for a baby-daddy and U.K. visa? This sounds totally nuts. 5 children back home and wants to visit Manchester. Yeah …… ok…..

littlebopeepp234 · 18/08/2023 18:46

Anyone who is happy to leave their 5 kids to travel all the way to Manchester to meet a complete stranger and is wanting to get pregnant by them has some serious issues at best…. And are a complete narcissist/ sociopath/ psychopath at worst! They sound like they suit each other!

Ladybirdg1984 · 18/08/2023 18:48

You need to ghost him. You are worth so much more. ❤️

BajaBaja · 18/08/2023 18:51

Been in similar situations apart from the woman wasn’t from another country. Really don’t waste your time they’re having an emotional affair and she’s leaving you subtle signs…

ScotsBluebell · 18/08/2023 18:53

Please, please, please don't waste much more of your time on him. I've been there, was persuaded that everything was my fault - but in retrospect, it wasn't. If you possibly can, chalk it up to experience and move on. I did. Met him again many years later. By that time he was with a much younger woman and the way he spoke about her chilled me to the bone - because I could see by then that she was where I had been, except that she had wasted far more years of her life on him than I ever did. You sound lovely. Move on. There's definitely something and someone better in your future.

Hawkins009 · 18/08/2023 18:55

@Whenthepartysover
Would the stick show that weather or not is safe to do the business so to speak and that, that's the reason she flew over for an affair ?

Takeabreather23 · 18/08/2023 19:11

@Whenthepartysover I haven’t read the fill
post yet .
YANBU
As above trust your gutt
Also this women had came specifically to see your BF he said he was just giving her a place to kip not soled time with her like they are . Strolls ok the park , constant txting , staying at his home not meeting others from insta.

Also I don’t know many would that would travel to other end of the world leave her kids then take ovulation tests ?

Does she have a partner of her own

He is pushing your boundaries don’t doubt yourself

littlebopeepp234 · 18/08/2023 19:12

Hawkins009 · 18/08/2023 18:55

@Whenthepartysover
Would the stick show that weather or not is safe to do the business so to speak and that, that's the reason she flew over for an affair ?

The stick would give her an idea of when she is ovulating (or close to ovulating) which is the most fertile period for a woman and where she can get pregnant - that is what these sticks are intended for. So either she intends to get pregnant or she is using it as a poor form of contraception. My guess is that she is trying to get pregnant as otherwise she would not need to be testing for her most fertile window of the cycle and would not need these sticks whilst miles away from her husband. Either way it seems she obviously intends to have sex.

Takeabreather23 · 18/08/2023 19:17

I’ve just re read she is married . Best not to have sex with a stranger and go back to your husband pregnant then ahy !

CantFindMyMarbles · 18/08/2023 19:24

You’re allowing your jealousy to ruin your own life and probably the relationship.
lots of people track their ovulation for a wide variety of reasons and none of them to do with having a baby.
I’d be getting rid of anyone who didn’t trust me. I have morals and if the knew me they would know that.

Milkymilkymama · 18/08/2023 19:26

To add perspective, I use Natural Cycles fertility tracking app. The app asks you to take ovulation tests monthly, especially if your ovulation is later than usual. If you don't accurately track your cycle every month it makes predictions less accurate for next month. She will get more 'red days' and less unprotected days with her husband. I would still be tracking my fertility when away to keep the algorithm of the app accurate.

Of course, there could be other reasons, but there is also this, a perfectly reasonable reason for taking an ovulation test on holiday.

Pliudev · 18/08/2023 19:27

OP I married him. Run now. Or, like Startup says, you'll wake up one day and you'll be 40 or worse, 60 and he'll be in his shed (which you will have paid for) writing crap sonnets.
Stop thinking you are wrong. You aren't.

Sometimesrational · 18/08/2023 19:28

Sorry to go off piste, but why are you back at uni? I thought they weren't open until mid September.