Judged

She said – again –
       I know.
       I know what you’re going to say.

What had I actually said?
What was I saying?
What was she picking up on
               that I had never actually said
                                                   out loud?

And was that a good
                    or bad thing?

She moved in with her boyfriend and told me
                   she knew what I would think,
                               but she had made her decision
                                                      and
                                     he was already living there
                                                            with her.

Would I
      do I
      still love her?
Would I still be there for her?

Of course!

I don’t think I had ever said
                                  I would
                               or wouldn’t [fill-in-the-blank].
      But whatever she got from me was clearly inferred
                                                                assumed.

In one sense, I am glad that I have been communicating
                                 what I believe
                                     and live (I hope)
                                             about marriage
                                               and love
                                               and relationships.

But those small bits of conversations with her
                               are also so sparse
                                             small
                                             minute
                                                  that they feel so
                                             incomplete.

I don’t think I have ever said – out loud to her – that I believe a live-in relationship outside of marriage isn’t the best decision.

But she got it anyway.

Have I said to her that if she chose to do [whatever] – that it would cause issues between us? Or that I would somehow break off the relationship with her if she chose something different?

No.

But maybe she heard something I didn’t say
                                                   or mean.

I can go back over
             and over
                    what I said.

As far as wanting to convey that a particular decision wouldn’t be good for her, that came across to her – somehow.

Did I mean it to be taken so emphatically
                                      strongly
                                      powerfully?

Yes.

And no.

Did I mean to judge her
               or for her to feel judged?

Absolutely not.

And since this entire conversation
                         or conversations
                   seemed to happen
                           without my actually saying anything,
                       how do I communicate in the future
                           what I really meant to say,
                                     or need to say
                                           in actual words?