An apology and some general grumbling

TLDR: met a woman, things went wrong, lost loads of money and my bike.

Back in 2010 I had managed to get enough cash together to get myself a decent road machine - I bought a Scott Speeder from my LBS for around £1100 and it was my pride and joy. I was a regular poster on here, made a handful of friends (hi Lesley), made a couple of enemies (always fun) and really enjoyed the community.

I got fitter, I was loving it. I posted an advert on here for cycling buddies in the north west and started going out at weekend with some really decent chaps - dcab, Lancslad, to name two. Winter rolled along, the riding kinda laxed off a little and I drifted away from the whole thing. Febuary came along I was getting ready to go out again and I met this woman; seemingly wonderful lass who was somewhat older than me (by 10 years it turned out) and I made the mistake of forgetting everything and everyone else. I am sorry for that, and I apologise to all those involved.

The relationship was great at first, things seemed okay and I found myself kinda falling in love or at least it felt that way. Then crap started to happen; she accused me of cheating when I was just chatting to a girl on the way home on the train - but I put that down to the fact that she'd had problems with her ex. Then things got progressively worse. She told me tales at the start that he ex had been verbally abusive, called her stupid, jammed a can in her face, made her feel like crap essentially and I was all 'oh no' and felt genuinely protective and wanted her to feel safe.

Over a period of months she would start arguments over tiny things (innuendos will be ignored lol), why wasn't I on MSN all the time, or why wasn't I ready on Skype, was I doing something else? - how dare I play games with my friends or as she put it 'those f*cking games' which was Call of Duty etc. Pointless, tiny things, when I thought the world of her. She'd go ballistic over nothing but I always gave her the benefit of the doubt; did my best to make her feel safe, happy, and did what I could financially to get little things for her. I'd go up every weekend, help out in the house, do jobs in the garden, really try and make her life better. Going up mid week, as we lived a good distance away from each other. I did most of the travelling to see her and be with her.

One afternoon I was giving her directions over the phone, get her to some house or other, and because I didn't give her perfect directions she started yelling down the phone, calling me stupid, an idiot and that's when I started to find things falling into place. Early on in our relationship she was saying her ex called her a schizo, I just brushed it off thinking that he was a tosser. Thing is her personailty was very much changing moods, attitude, from one thing to another all the time and I never knew what was happening.

June came, and I was at her son's bday party. Nice guy, his friends seemed decent too and she was all so fluffy with everyone. I drank a little, got a tad tipsy but I stopped before it became too much. At the end of the party she was seeing us all out and the others asked if I wanted to go clubbing with them; 'sure' I said and she just blurted out 'you're not going!' and gave me such a look that I just said 'you're pissing me off now'. That was the beginning of the end.

The last couple of weeks rolled by, and I stupidly gave her my Scott, thinking it would mend things - it would be something we could do together, as I had a shoddy single speed but not long after I just gave up. My friends have all said 'get it back!' and I asked for it back, she just told me to **ck off. She'd never use it, it'd just be another trophy because I came down to the conclusion that she was using me - using me for what she could get and she cleaned me out! I went into that relationship with 3 grand, I came out with 400 quid. 4 months! I bought her lovely presents for her birthday and nothing was right. All the stuff she'd hinted at was 'wrong' and that I hadn't guessed right at anything. She went on and on about a metal detector, she wanted one, I got her one and it cost me 150 quid, she just said 'it's shit innit?' - I got her perfume, 120 a bottle, 'I can get bigger ones for less' she said. Got her a nice bracelet 'don't like the colour' even though I matched it in colour to the laptop parts I'd got her, which she asked for; a nice pink colour...

Took her to a concert, put my hand on her knee and she just took it off and slammed my hand on my own knee... relationship? nah, more like one way street. I am now skint, can't ride and gaining weight fast due to an under active thyroid (meds keep it under control). Esnetially I was a slave, some guy who trimmed the garden, kept it tidy and lugged about stuff for her; occasionally getting a kiss as a thanks and that would be it.

Meh - anyway sorry for posting this; just needed to vent. I have met someone else, she is lovely but things are strained at the moment and I don't know what to do. I'm trying to solve problems I have no control over and it's just not going to get any better before it gets worse.