Has this ever happened to you? Dumped on Valentine's Day, Christmas, your birthday, or even worse, your anniversary. It seems like the most inopportune time, and yet he did it anyway.

I knew a girl who was dumped on her anniversary. They had been together for 3 years, and for that particular anniversary, they decided to have a quiet night at the movies. They decided to catch the early show, and meet at the theater straight from work. She arrived before he did, so she purchased the tickets and waited by the door. 5 minutes later, he arrived and they made their way past the "ticket checker" and onto the escalator toward the upper theaters.

It was there, on the escalator, that this particular gentleman (and I use the terms gentleman extremely loosely) turned to her and said, "It's not working out. I am breaking up with you."

She was obviously stunned by the comment, given that up until that point there had been no obvious issues in their relationship. She attempted to ask him why, but he had already bolted up the escalator and was making his way down on the opposite side.

She pursued him, chasing him down the escalator, through the lobby, and into the parking lot. He quickly jumped in his car and sped away. She tried to follow him, but he had made his way through a set of lights just before turning red, leaving his former girlfriend alone, in her car, weeping at a red light.

He never returned her phone calls, and she never got a solid answer as to what exactly happened that night.

This is the absolute worst break up I have ever heard of, and one she certainly did not deserve, but it seems to happen all the time. Why?

The most important aspect for any break up is closure. If you break up with someone, you already have closure; you do not need an explanation because it was your decision. For the person being dumped, it can be the worst feeling in the world. Without a reason, an explanation, a few minutes of respect to say, "hey, I just feel we are not right for each other because..." This is the most important consideration that you can give to someone whom you are breaking up with, and can help ease any pain or embarrassment they may be feeling.

In the same respect, if you are being broken up with, and you do get an explanation, then please do yourself a favor and let it go. If he has expressed why he is no longer interested, then you must respect the effort it takes to be honest, and don't slam the door in his face, or slap him silly. There will be so many men in your life that this one will become a humorous memory for pub chat in the future (believe me!).

He dumped me on our anniversary, and she punched me in the stomach... ah the joys of dating.

- Safe dating everyone!