Drama Kings and Queens

Never has anyone told me outright that they love drama. Never has someone called me up to tell me, "Gosh, there's so much drama in my life right now. I love it!" Never have I sarcastically asked someone a question after they vent to me about their problems, such as, "Gosh, don't you love drama?" and they respond with a serious tone of voice, "Oh, yes, of course, who doesn't?"

But, sometimes, I do wonder if a minority of the population actually enjoys their drama. Without their drama, what would they have to talk about? What would they have to gossip about? What would they have to vent and complain about? Even though they won't admit it, I truly believe some of these people are drama lovers.

A perfect example is an ex-girlfriend of mine. No, I'm not saying this because we just broke up and I'm not over her yet. She and I have been broken up for approximately four years. Last I heard, she had one kid and is pregnant with another. So, no, this isn't me being bitter about a break-up. Heck, I haven't even spoken to her for close to a year now.

While she and I were dating, I was blind to many things as can be commonplace when two people date for a lengthy period of time. So, even though it may have been obvious to others looking in on the situation, I was blind to her being a drama queen. But, now that the situation is four years old, I think I'm able to look back with unbiased eyes on our relationship.

Everyday, it was something new or the rehashing of something I had heard multiple times. One day, it dealt with her mother. The next day, it dealt with her father. Other days, it had to do with her step-parents. There were days she'd dramatize the situation between she and her old best friend who lived in Connecticut. Yet, there were other days, that it had to do with me, the relationship she and I shared, friend of mine, family of mine. You name it, she probably overdramatized about it. Heck, I invited her along to one of my best friend's sister's graduation and oddly enough, my ex knew this gal. At the party, I introduced my ex to some other friends of mine, including a gal that a friend of mine was seeing at the time and who I'd known since grade school. We were invited to an after party shindig following the graduation and we accepted. Right as we got in my car, my ex started inquiring about this female friend of mine who I'd known for umpteen years and who was dating a male friend of mine at the time. "How long have you known her?" "Do you think she's pretty?" "Would you ever date her?" Anytime my phone line was busy when she called, she became stricken with paranoia, thinking that it must've been me talking to a gal I was interested in. So, again, when my ex finally got ahold of me, nothing but questions did I receive. Anytime there wasn't enough drama transpiring in the relationship, she made that there was enough by night's end. She'd cry and pretend that she hated the drama, but she couldn't go about a day unless there was drama. If a date or an entire day seemed to be going well, she had a feeling something wasn't right, so she stirred drama so that things felt familiar and comfortable (in an odd way). There were even times when she told me, "Why is it that drama always seems to find me?" I have a simple answer, because she was looking for it. It's reminiscent of that UPS commercial where the guy whose job it is to worry, has nothing to worry about. Then he goes on a tangent that since there's nothing to worry about, there is something to worry about. If a guy or a gal doesn't really want to date another, all they have to do is look deeper and deeper into the person or situation and they'll eventually find something that they don't like, which will give them the reason to not date that particular person. Even if there's nothing to worry about, if one worries enough, they're going to find something to worry about. If there isn't anything to dramatize in one's life, all it takes is for them to become dramatic over whatever comes to mind and all of a sudden, drama appears.

Why does drama appeal to some? I don't know. Perhaps, like I said before, it's what they're used to, so in an odd way, it's familiar and comfortable to them. Maybe they don't have the highest self-esteem in the world, so the only way they feel they can garner attention is by being dramatic.

My friend's mother has stated that drama seems to find me. Is she right? That's hard for me to say. What I do know is I can't stand drama and I'll do anything it takes so that my life is as drama-free as possible. As I've learned (the hard way), drama=stress and stress=seizures, so through transitive reference, drama=seizuress. That's been the main trigger for seizures in my life. I tried to deny that for a little while, but what good does that do? So, I finally admitted the problem and have since tried to live as stress-free a life as one can. My friend's mother can be sure of this, seizures are not pleasant experiences and I in no way, shape, or form want to endure them at any point in time, so drama does not appeal to me whatsoever.

I can't say that's true of my ex and oddly enough, others in the world. The last time she and I spoke to one another was almost a year ago. A friend of mine who'd known about her bumped into a fellow employee who works with my ex and my friend asked about her (my ex). Well, this young lady then informed my ex about what happened and my ex gave me a call. Keep in mind, this was about three years after we had broken up. Here's what was said:

Her: "So, were you seeing anyone else when we were dating?"

Me: "What? What are you talking about?"

Her: "Oh, this gal I work with bumped into a 'friend' of yours who asked about me. How long have you known this friend? Who is she? How do you know her?"

Me: "I'm not going to get in the middle of this. She's a friend, that's all she is. She's married. You and I broke up about three years ago. What's the big deal here?"

Her: "Okay, fine then. Well, I better get going. Bye."

Me: "Okay then. Buhbye."

Yeah, after that final conversation, there's no way anyone can tell me that some people don't love their drama, because I know for a fact that she did. Why? I don't know and I don't want to know.