"Aren't you going to say I told you so?"

As predicted the reunion of Laura and her psychotic Ex was short lived -- a whole two weeks to be exact. And like I further predicted, I was there to help pick up the pieces. Le sigh.

Apparently despite assurances of the opposite, the Ex continued where she left off, screaming, crying, calling Laura all manner of names whenever she felt jealous or not paid attention to. When Laura recounted the events of the prior two weeks that led up to her telling to Ex to leave, I couldn't help but listen open mouthed in disbelief. Between the Ex's drunken rages and unprovoked threats of violence, I seriously worried for Laura's safety.

"Change the locks," I demanded. "Get the landlady to change the locks. Pay the landlady to change the locks."

Laura gave me a long sigh that hinted that maybe she had already thought of all the following.

"I just kept thinking back to the disappointment in your voice when I told you the Ex and I were getting back together. I couldn't forget who you told me, 'Have some self respect.'"

We were sitting at a bar when she said this. She looked distressed or perhaps tired. Her eyes were battle weary and I knew then that I had done a good deed by offering to get a drink with her after work. I was conciliatory.

"When I said those things I wasn't trying to be mean. I was saying them because I cared about you and I was trying to stop you from making a huge leap backward."

"Aren't you going to say I told you so?"

"No. I don't need to say it."

Later Wendy recounted a conversation she had with Laura that went something like this:

"Why didn't anyone say anything to me?!" Laura demanded indignantly.

"Rouge said something," Wendy shot back.

"Oh."

Sometimes we have to make our own mistakes in order to learn. Maybe she would have listened sooner if I had played her the song Your Missus Is A Nutter by Goldie Lookin' Chain?