Are You the Fish Caught on His Hook?

Fighting a cold and feeling rather poorly, I decided to spend the afternoon under the covers watching the romantic comedy, The Holiday, starring Kate Winslet and Jack Black for a second time.

I liked it a little less this time around; it's so sweet it made my molars hurt, but I enjoy the fact that it's set in England, and I like England. I haven't been there in a long time, so it's nice to watch a film set there and pretend I'm there, too.

Another thing I like about the movie: Its compelling examination of unrequited love, a tragedy that's affected most of us at one time or another. Kate Winslet plays Iris, a woman who's hung up on a guy who comes and goes and comes again without ever mentioning he's seriously involved with another woman.

As the story progresses, Iris experiences several epiphanies about her beloved's boomerang behavior, which may enlighten the viewer who finds herself in a similar situation.

If you've ever dated a guy who comes on strong, and then disappears, or says he doesn't want a relationship, and then keeps turning up, or is involved with another woman, and then keeps turning up, I'm talking to you.

And perhaps your friends are equally baffled by his erratic passion. Maybe they imagine (as you do) that the guy has commitment issues, that he's afraid of becoming vulnerable and getting hurt. The poor tenderhearted fellow!

But here's the truth: The guy is a self-centered jerk. A kinder way of putting it would be to say he's a narcissist. Manslator Jeff Mac addressed the subject of boomerang men yesterday; he maintains that guys who pull this garbage do it for reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with you (or me. In days of yore, I fell for not one but two of these clowns. Where the hell were you to set me straight then, Jeff Mac?).

The sad thing is, if you allow yourself to stay on such a guy's hook, you make yourself unavailable to a man who wants to give you the love you deserve.

Are you ready and willing to accept the love you deserve? Slip off the hook. It'll hurt for a little while, but it'll be worth it.