Dear Prudence,
I had a long-term relationship (about 20 months) with someone I met online during the pandemic lockdowns. She lives abroad, and for the most part, our relationship was really great. I had been trying to move to the country she lives in, and applied to medical schools over there, so I was taking it fairly seriously. I never told her I was applying and seriously considering moving, which was probably a mistake because she only heard my vague wishes of wanting to leave my terrible country. I eventually got rejected from those schools and accepted an offer from a (good!) school in my home country, so moving is now off the table. I ended up leaving her because—about twice a year—she would not respond to my texts for several days at a time with no explanation. Normally, this is not a big deal for me with anyone, but I was so used to talking to her every day I started to get in my head and think, “How hard is it to send a text?” I told her it stressed me out and I worried, but it continued, like clockwork, never with any explanation. I was probably reading too many “Girl Power!” manuals, but I convinced myself she didn’t care enough about me and politely ended it. She was understanding. Now, it’s six months later. I miss her and am thinking about reaching out. Am I blowing a couple of weird days for her out of proportion? Or was she out of line?
— Stuck in the Middle