Unfortunately, I live in the town where my Ex is a police officer. He works nights, so I (thankfully) don’t see him all that often–three times in four years or so.
1. A few weeks after I moved out, I met Fiance (we were just casually seeing each other back then) and a good friend of ours who was in town for the weekend at a local pool hall. I walked in the wrong entrance (never been there before, had no idea the entrance in front was for the pro shop and they were closing) RIGHT past the table where Fiance was playing with a couple that he was friends with. Naturally, the boyfriend was like, “HEY, IT’S BRANDY!” ARGH. Ex has a very distinctive car, which I didn’t see. I was so flustered that I almost ran to the table where Fiance was and immediately ordered a drink (I “wasn’t allowed” to drink when I was with my Ex). Apparently he got mad that I didn’t stop and say hi and gush over him or whatever, so he stomped over and was like, “NO, THAT’S OKAY, I’LL COME SAY HI,” and then stomped away to one of the really trashy waitresses. He made a big show of getting her number and then had her go put in Eminem’s “You Make Me Sick” (he was a white rapper and huge Eminem fan) while he made his exit. I just laughed.
2. I’d switched cars twice since I left, so I was thankful that he’d never recognize my car…until I drove past him in his squad car on my way to work one morning. Fuuuuuuuuuuuck. I’m pretty sure that he recognized me, too.
3. When it was still warm-ish here, Future Mother-In-Law wanted a new cell phone, so me, Future Mother-In-Law, and Fiance headed to the Sprint store. I looked reeeeeeeally cute that day; for some reason, I’d done my makeup more than I normally do, tried a new outfit, and my hair looked good. We walked in, and Ex was up at the counter with a woman in ill-fitting jeans, Doc Martens, and a hoodie with a GIANT Abercrombie logo on the front. That should have been a clue, but a quick glance made me think that it was his mom who’d gotten a hair cut. He saw me and put some swagger into his walk (lmao) and swaggered out of the store past us (I may or may not have flashed my ring a little?), and I realized that the woman was NOT his mom, but probably his new girlfriend! She looked OLD (his mom was in her 50s, but was a lifelong chain smoker)! She was dressed EXACTLY the way he’d tried to make me dress, same chin length hair cut, everything. I had to wonder if she dressed straight out of the early 2000s when he met her, or if he convinced her to do it (like he tried to do with me).
I also ran into FI’s ex once, and nearly hit her with my car. I was with a friend from out of town having lunch and I saw his ex sit down at a table near us with some friends of hers. She glared at me the whole time (two years later!), and then gave me dirty looks when they walked past us to throw their garbage away. My friend was like, “Wait, he dated HER? WHY? Bitch has buck teeth and the body of a 12 year old boy!” It made me laugh.