She dated both of them for three to four months, not quite telling them what her ultimate intentions were. (She never thought much about it.) Before long, both men discovered she wasn’t seeing each of them exclusively.
Their confrontation happened at a local dance hall after a country band concert, and it nearly turned ugly. Melanie and Reese had gone out to watch the concert, not knowing that Malcolm was there, too. Malcolm spotted them together,
walked up, and demanded an explanation. It was a good thing he and Reese were of the same character, or there would have been a fist fight.
When both men realized Melanie had been less than upfront, they both stopped seeing her.
Communicate your purpose and terms for dating as clearly as possible.
You’re dating with a purpose, and that’s to find your soul mate, the one who you’re going to be building lifetime memories with.
You’d better be clear on that with every person you date. Short of wearing a sign around your neck that says “Seeking Spouse”, you should try to get that message across.
If you’re finding dates through an online network, for instance, make sure you have “seeking long-term relationship” written on your profile.