At first, he was so perfect. We were the same religion, went to the same school, and I'd never been treated so much like a princess by anyone! He wasn't shy about being seen with me. But then things went bad. He became abusive, and still I stayed. He threatened to kill himself if I left. Eventually, I got up the nerve to break up with him. I still had a few of his things, like his favorite hoodie. Instead of giving it back, I burned it.

After 11 years of marriage to a man I discovered was a total idiot, we split up. I actually found him one night at my girlfriend's house - I walked into her house to find them making out.  Anyway, he would do idiot things to irritate me. His favorite was vacuuming in the middle of the night, knowing full well that it would keep me awake and result in a bit of drama. We were split up for 4 years before I finally filed for divorce (I was able to stay on his health insurance during the split. I figured he owed me something for all the crap he put me through).

The divorce was days from being final, and he died. I got the life insurance money, all his stuff - car, furniture, etc... and his ashes after I decided to have him cremated.  I donated his stuff to charity and instead of a funeral, I had some friends over for a "vacuum party".  Yep, I vacuumed those ashes!!!

My now exboyfriend was deployed overseas for a year. We decided to end our long distance relationship (plane tickets are expensive!) and actually move in together. So I was driving, with my life in my car, 1000 miles from my hometown to a city where I knew no one. I planned on waiting a year for him to come home so we could get our lives started.

When I made it to my new place, his parents helped move all of his things into my (our) new apartment. His bed, dresser, couch, dishware, TV etc etc. You name it, it was here. Things went well for most of the year. He came home from leave for a week after 6 months. But a couple months before his big day back home he stopped saying I love yous. Then he said we should live in separate places. He started acting strange. Then he broke up with me, over webcam while he was overseas. This was the man of my dreams and he dumps me a month before he's suppose to come home. I left my entire life behind to be with him, and I never got to see him come home. I had dreamed of that day for a year!

A few months later I find out he's already living with someone else. And I have ALL of his stuff. Well, not anymore - I'd rather sleep on the floor than in his bed, eat with my hands than use his forks, stare at the wall than watch his TV. Every inch of my apartment used to have part of him in it. It was almost unlivable. I felt like I was being haunted by an evil spirit. Oh, and that family heirloom in the picture? Rotting in a landfill somewhere.

I was with Dustin in elementary school. I moved away for my dads job but came back a year and a half later and me and Dustin picked up where we left off as if I never left. He started being rude (like most young boys when they like a girl) so I broke it off with him. A few years later we got back together in junior high (we really liked each other our entire lives back then) and he gave me his necklace to keep and hold onto. He was a really nice guy then. Well I don't remember how or why but we broke up.

I was going through an old purse last year and found his necklace. My boyfriend of 2 years was there with me and asked me who's it was. I told him I'm not sure when honestly I did know. I wanted to throw it out but I couldn't. I smile and stare at it everytime I find it. I think of back then and how care free kids are, how I really really liked him and thought we'd be together forever.

I've become somewhat paranoid when it comes to blankets. Both of my long-term relationships have ended not long after a blanket entered into the picture. This has gone to the point where my current girlfriend is under orders to never give me a blanket (at least not until "til death do us part" and maybe not even then).

This blanket was special. The first one was, too, since he made it himself. The second one, though, was actually given to my long-distance boyfriend by my mother for Christmas. She was trying to be supportive and accepting and asked if I thought he'd like the thing. It was dark green, warm, down, fuzzy. Absolutely perfect. The boyfriend had a tendency to sit at his computer and get cold when he was working on school assignments. This seemed like the best thing to keep him warm. Christmas morning, however, there was no surprise and happiness over the blanket. It was just some green thing. "Yay." Not that he was unkind about it, but it didn't thrill him the way I thought it might. Later that week, it ended up on my bed to keep us warm because it was pretty cold. He didn't take it home with him and every time he'd come to visit, I'd offer it back, even though I'd been using it to keep me warm on my bed or at the couch (it's a good blanket!). He always refused, citing that he wanted it here so that something of his could keep me warm.

He left me over the phone eventually. A hard, tearful call that lasted a long time. There's even been a year of a lot of emotional anguish and issues, since he was one of my best friends ever and now I don't have that, either. I miss my friend, but I have to say that at least I got the blanket and it still keeps me warm! That doesn't mean that the new girlfriend is allowed to buy me one, though, no matter how sweet it might be.

I don't have a picture of it, as I don't even have it anymore, but one guy I dated several years ago left his lawn mower. He lived in a small town about 30 miles away, and to be honest, I don't even remember how we met. We went on a three or four dates, with him driving all the way to my house. I was a single mother with two daughters, so I appreciated his doing the long drive. I didn't have a lawn mower and my grass was getting tall, so he brought his mower one day and mowed my lawn. He left it in my garage, stating that he would get it later.

The next date we went on, he started talking about getting married and admitted to me that he was just looking for someone to marry so he could try to get custody of his two small children. Undoubtedly, that was our last date, and he never did come and get his lawn mower (I continued to use it until it finally quit working).

Dear Rob,

I know you've said you'll come get your stuff out of the garage but it's still sitting there. You've been telling me that for months and months. I don't even know what most of it is. I recognize a few car parts.

It's not a huge deal. I guess it could just keep sitting there but at some point I'll get motivated and decide to clean out the garage and I'll throw all the mystery stuff away and then you'll show up like a day later finally ready to pick it up and we'll look at each other, remembering that our timing was always off like that. Hopefully we'll laugh about it because that was just how things always went for us.

Oh, what the hell - your crap can stay in the garage until you get around to picking it up.  It might even be nice to see you...

It was always a special T shirt. I remember he chastised me when I stole it from him. It was his favorite; evidenced by the worn texture that apparently costs $100 to emulate, and of course, the holes. It was disgusting and I loved it like I loved him. I don't love him any more, and of course I'm over the shirt. But I use it every single morning to wrap my hair when I get out of the shower. I find the (somewhat huge) role this random souvenier from my first serious relationship hilarious.