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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:
CandyLeBonBon · 17/08/2023 13:49

As a pp said, if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck...

sodthesodoff · 17/08/2023 13:49

@Sandra1984 well we're agreed on that one...!

Op. Hope you're okay. It sounds like he's making you out to be the bad guy. You're really not. Do you have anyone with you in real life to chat to?

Dolores87 · 17/08/2023 13:49

shortandpaleandoldandugly · 17/08/2023 13:48

He was stroppy when you phoned OP because he doesn't want you there while she is. I'd place bets on him being very different on Saturday afternoon when she's gone.

Or he is mad with her for making such an awkward situation after she said it was ok

Pressthespacebar · 17/08/2023 13:50

Trust your gut op.

DeeCeeCherry · 17/08/2023 13:51

Your boyfriend is a dickhead. You seem to be blaming yourself for his actions. Honestly, raise your bar and your self-esteem. Do better. You're young, but you're not a wet behind the ears teen.
What do you think is happening when they're alone together at home? Ovulation stick = she's checking she's in her safe period to have sex.

If she's not using contraception/he's not using a condom your boyfriend is even more of a massive idiot. 2 randoms who "met" each other over the internet playing silly games fgs. I bet her husband doesn't know she's shacked up with some bloke over here

A woman has come over here to stay with your boyfriend and have a holiday with him. They've arranged and encouraged it between them, and made it happen. He's no doubt busy with his online harem of silly women being starry-eyed over his art, creativity blah blah blah. She's likely one of them.

Yes you're hurt but you really should distance yourself from this mess. If he wants you he'll come back (to mess you around again eventually). There are nicer people out there, you're young he's not the be all and end all.

sodthesodoff · 17/08/2023 13:51

@Dolores87 Bully for you. I wouldn't leave my kids to see a stranger I'd never met before across the other side of the Atlantic. Each to their own.

Dolores87 · 17/08/2023 13:53

MotherofGorgons · 17/08/2023 13:46

She says man bun dick has long deep convos every night with Joni Mitchell.

So? That doesn't mean he is prioritising his friend. Op and her boyfriend dont live together so he has plenty of evenings he could be chatting to his friend. As long as he is not sitting watching a film or having a meal with his girlfriend and being "oh sorry i need to chat to Claire" in the middle of it that isnt a sign he is prioritising his friendship over his girlfriend.

Okaaaay · 17/08/2023 13:54

Admittedly, I’m far from artsy. But I find it odd that a women with 5 children would fly to a random city (I know, I know Manchester is lovely but it’s not London or Edinburgh is it) to stay with a guy she hasn’t meet before. I totally get visiting and staying for a couple of nights whilst on holiday in the UK, but it’s just a bit odd.

Honestly OP, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I would consider whether this is the person for you long term. It sounds like there are lifestyle choices, and therefore behaviours, which don’t match between you. Better to know that now.

MotherofGorgons · 17/08/2023 13:54

Man @Dolores87 life is too short and OP is too young to waste her life being a groupie to this either extremely naive and stupid poet, or absolute dickhead.

Tesal · 17/08/2023 13:57

I will call him this afternoon to have a talk. He is very stubborn, he will absolutely not text or call me if I don't do it first so it has to be me

No it doesn’t.

littlebopeepp234 · 17/08/2023 13:57

ManateeFair · 17/08/2023 10:23

YABU to say that you were fine with him having her stay at his house, and then throw a wobbly when it actually happened and expect her to find a hotel. If I'd arranged to stay with a friend on a trip overseas and had budgeted accordingly, only to find myself having to pay out for a hotel unexpectedly just because his girlfriend suddenly changed her mind about it, I'd be fucking furious.

The ovulation stick could be for any number of reasons. My guess is that she tracks her cycle because she's got five kids and doesn't want any more of them. She's not with her husband right now, but obviously she's going to want to know where she is in her cycle when she goes home.

Not sure what you mean by 'constantly' replying to texts.

None of us here can say whether there's something going on with your boyfriend and Claire. We can only make wild guesses. Maybe they're sleeping together (although frankly I wouldn't have thought an American woman with a husband five kids was a tremendous catch for a 27-year-old single guy in Manchester). Maybe she has designs on him, but he's not interested. Maybe they have absolutely no interest in shagging each other at all. We don't know and neither do you.

But you clearly don't trust him so I'd say your relationship's over. You can't expect to tell him who he can and can't socialise with and who is or isn't allowed to stay in his house.

I get your point and yes she did say she was fine with her staying, however what I would be suspicious about is the use of the ovulation sticks. There are apps that can track and give you a rough date of your ovulation based on your menstrual cycle length and the info you input without needing to use the sticks. And as a woman, I can usually just tell when I’m ovulating or very close to. The only time I’ve ever used sticks is if I’m TTC and I want to know for definite when I’m ovulating. If she doesn’t want anymore kids then why does she need to track her ovulation when she is in a completely different country and away from her kids and husband. She can always just use birth control and then she wouldn’t need to be using ovulation sticks. It may be nothing but I cannot imagine why I would need to use ovulation sticks while staying somewhere miles away where I’m completely separate from my husband.

Zonder · 17/08/2023 14:02

Whenthepartysover · 17/08/2023 11:03

Thanks to everyone for your opinions, it really is good to read both sides because I was really going insane inside my own head.

I will call him this afternoon to have a talk. He is very stubborn, he will absolutely not text or call me if I don't do it first so it has to be me

That's not stubborn, that's leaving you hanging / game playing / disinterest.

I hope you call it a day with him and move on. He has already moved on from you, I'm afraid.

hiding5675687 · 17/08/2023 14:02

The messaging every day is not so appropriate, as it builds up a level of intimacy. I have good male friends, including colleagues, who I am in regular contact with, but would not message like this. I would also be concerned if my husband was messaging a female everyday. No problem him having female friends, keeping in contact, etc.

Inviting a friend to stay should be fine.

Regarding the ovulation stick, it could have been a test for something else, unless it had specific branding and you looked closely.

Meadowsalways · 17/08/2023 14:05

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at poster's request

Reggieismycat · 17/08/2023 14:05

This is what I would do. I would tell him that you think its a load of lies he and she are telling you. That out of the trust you had for him that she could stay with him. You have now had second thoughts with the way they are both behaving and that she should move out pronto or you will finish with him.
He is either a total fool or just isnt that into you. Im so sorry and hope you come out of this on top.

hiding5675687 · 17/08/2023 14:05

littlebopeepp234 · 17/08/2023 13:57

I get your point and yes she did say she was fine with her staying, however what I would be suspicious about is the use of the ovulation sticks. There are apps that can track and give you a rough date of your ovulation based on your menstrual cycle length and the info you input without needing to use the sticks. And as a woman, I can usually just tell when I’m ovulating or very close to. The only time I’ve ever used sticks is if I’m TTC and I want to know for definite when I’m ovulating. If she doesn’t want anymore kids then why does she need to track her ovulation when she is in a completely different country and away from her kids and husband. She can always just use birth control and then she wouldn’t need to be using ovulation sticks. It may be nothing but I cannot imagine why I would need to use ovulation sticks while staying somewhere miles away where I’m completely separate from my husband.

There has been a move away from apps in the US:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/period-tracker-apps-data-privacy-1.6510029
"If you're the kind of person who tracks your period, fitness, sleep or other health metrics with an app, privacy experts have a warning for you: your data could be a gold mine for advertisers, hackers, or law enforcement.
There have been calls on social media for American women to delete period tracking apps from their phones since the U.S. Supreme Court's draft decision on Roe v. Wade was leaked in early May."

Americans are being urged to delete period tracking apps. Should Canadians do the same? | CBC News

Lawyers fear that menstrual cycle data could be used to prosecute women in the U.S. for having illegal abortions, but privacy experts in Canada have much wider concerns about how users' health information is collected and shared via apps.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/period-tracker-apps-data-privacy-1.6510029

RoadSignFool · 17/08/2023 14:08

He is a twat and the whole thing is bullshit, she obviously wants to shag him and they probably are. However could the “ovulation stick” have been a keto test stick? They look similar. I can just imagine cranky artisty types also following some mad super low carb diet too.

Dolores87 · 17/08/2023 14:08

MotherofGorgons · 17/08/2023 13:54

Man @Dolores87 life is too short and OP is too young to waste her life being a groupie to this either extremely naive and stupid poet, or absolute dickhead.

It very well may be that this isn't a good relationship, especially considering she doesn't trust him but encouraging her to jump to the conclusion he is cheating based on very little evidence and assumptions about this women isn't really helpful. Its just to make her feel more upset about something that isn't necessarily happening and thats going to make it even harder to talk to her boyfriend if he hasnt done anything wrong, which there is at the moment very little evidence he has done. She said it was ok for her to stay. If he hasnt done anything wrong its understandable hes mad and stand off ish.

This situation needs some space and talking about not more heightened emotions based on assumptions and sensational opinions.

littlebopeepp234 · 17/08/2023 14:09

hiding5675687 · 17/08/2023 14:05

There has been a move away from apps in the US:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/period-tracker-apps-data-privacy-1.6510029
"If you're the kind of person who tracks your period, fitness, sleep or other health metrics with an app, privacy experts have a warning for you: your data could be a gold mine for advertisers, hackers, or law enforcement.
There have been calls on social media for American women to delete period tracking apps from their phones since the U.S. Supreme Court's draft decision on Roe v. Wade was leaked in early May."

Ok fair enough. But I still find it odd that she would even need to track her ovulation whilst away from her husband and kids in the first place. I know from my own cycle that I usually ovulation around day 15 and I also know when I’m close to or ovulating. I cannot imagine why someone would need to use the sticks when they are not TTC at that specific time due to being away. If she’s not trying to get pregnant then just use contraception surely.

RoadSignFool · 17/08/2023 14:09

Intrigued why a single, childless 23 year old knows what an ovulation stick looks like actually?

OhComeOnFFS · 17/08/2023 14:10

She says man bun dick has long deep convos every night with Joni Mitchell.

This is perfect.

littlebopeepp234 · 17/08/2023 14:12

RoadSignFool · 17/08/2023 14:09

Intrigued why a single, childless 23 year old knows what an ovulation stick looks like actually?

I’ve seen them advertised on TV and internet. They are also available in most pharmacies on the shelf so it’s easy to find out what they are and why they are used.

OhComeOnFFS · 17/08/2023 14:12

He clearly doesn't want you to meet her, OP. You can make your own deductions from that.

You are 23 and at university with all of your future ahead of you. You will meet plenty of men who are tons better than this guy. Throw this one in the bin.

2023forme · 17/08/2023 14:16

@Whenthepartysover - I think your username is apt. You are 23, at Uni, doing an internship in relation to your chosen career - you should be having the time of your life - not worrying and being upset like this! I think he is taking you for a mug if I'm honest. Time to re-evaluate the relationship and decide if the cons outweigh the pros. Good luck

Dylanesque · 17/08/2023 14:18

No!!! Joni is Canadian. But if the long-haired guitar-strumming poet is following the same script that mine did, he will soon turn the OP into his ''crazy ex''