"They Shoot Single People, Don't They?"

Going through the end of a marriage is no fun.  Going through the end of a marriage while moving your entire life from one coast to the other is even less fun.  All the advice I've read talks about reaching out to friends and family.  That's great, but my friends and family are a few days drive away.  No one's around to sit with a pint of ice cream while I wonder aloud about what I could have done differently, and all the other questions one asks herself when going through this.

Now, I've never had a problem making friends in the military.  Until now.  It's a different ballgame when you're a single female.  One big problem with the school I'm currently attending is that I'm only allowed to associate with other career Soldiers.  I can't be friends with the Initial Entree Trainees.  I'd venture to say that 90% of the career Soldiers are married.  It doesn't bother me, as far as I'm concerned that's double the friends, right?

Wrong.  Apparently, the wives have a problem with me.  I've discovered that being a single female in the military is the leprosy of the 21st century.  I'm not interested in anything more than friendship, but most of the friends I've tried to make have told me their wives aren't comfortable with them being friends with me.  They only want to hang out with other couples.  I even posted on the local "Spouses" facebook group that I'm looking for friends and playdates for my evil minions, hoping that I could make friends that way.  Nope, I'm the single female Soldier.  I got zero responses to my post, but spouses were responding left and right to nearly identical posts from other spouses.

I had been invited to a family game night in my neighborhood tonight with a few other careerists, their spouses, and their children.  I RSVP'd that I'd be attending with my minions, asking what I could bring.  The Soldier of the wife who was organizing this event sent me a message, apologizing because his wife didn't feel comfortable with me attending and it would throw off the even number of guests for the grown-up games.

I want to wear a shirt that says, "I was married to a cheating asshole for nine years.  The last thing I want is yours."