Relationship status: It’s complicated
Have you ever met someone who tickles your fancy, only to hear them say ‘it’s complicated’ when you ask if they are single? You are then left with a puzzled look on your face wondering what they mean.
Relationships overall can be tricky to explain, but saying ‘it’s complicated’ can mean any of the following:
1. Friends with benefits: They like each other enough to hang out together and have sex.
2. Seeing each other and no one else but not in a relationship: They are together, but for whatever reason they haven’t put a label on it.
3. On and then off: One minute they are madly in love and the next minute they are arguing and not talking to each other.
4. The significant other is living overseas: Long-distance relationships are hard to maintain and do take a toll on the relationship over time as people might say they are together but are slowly becoming emotionally detached.
5. Emotionally guilty: One partner wants to hold on to the relationship while the other just wants to let go and move on, but they somehow feel guilty for thinking about leaving.
6. Still living with an ex: Being stuck for whatever reason living in the same house with the ex, be it for financial reasons or waiting on the children to be old enough to cope with them leaving.
7. Separated: Legally married but living alone, living the life of a single person, but they haven’t made the first step towards getting a divorce, even though they have been separated for years.
8. Getting back together: As the Jamaican proverb says, “ole firestick easy fi ketch”.
Relationships aren’t just black and white, they are also many shades of grey, which I guess makes them complicated.
