DEAR ABBY: My girlfriend, "Crystal," recently dumped me. We were madly in love, and she would constantly message me and tell me how I was perfect, she didn't deserve someone as amazing as me and how I'm the only one she wants in her life. We were talking about moving in together, marriage and our future.
Then all of a sudden a well-known creep with a shady past offered her a job in another state. Crystal's family, friends and I all told her not to take the job or talk to that guy because he's bad news. She took the job, moved across the country and left us all behind.
She has now cut me out of her life. I haven't heard from her, and her mom told me she checks in with her family only occasionally. My question is what did I miss? I know Crystal was always hard on herself and thought she wasn't doing enough with her life, but I was constantly reassuring and encouraging her.
I believe this guy manipulated her and made her think this was her last chance at the career she was seeking. I am afraid she's going to learn a hard lesson and get let down drastically. Is there anything we can do to help her see this? -- BAFFLED AND DEVASTATED
DEAR BAFFLED: No, I am sorry to say there isn't. You didn't miss anything; you were misled. Crystal told you she wanted a future with you when the truth was what she really wanted was a career, and you were Plan B. There's an old saying, "Bad pennies always turn up." If the man who hired her is as shady as you say he is, she'll be back. And I hope you will have moved on long before then.