Warning! This is not a pretty story!
As the older brother of younger sisters, I met many of their girl friends. And I took full advantage of the opportunity! Mostly, the result was a casual, non-intimate relationship. There was one, however, that turned out to be an unholy affair! Her name was Ramona. It began innocently at first. Ramona asked my sister to ask me to give her a ring. I called and learned that she liked me a lot and wanted to go out with me. Since I was not then in a serious affair, and since Ramona was not bad to look at, I agreed. I began ringing her number frequently. She was my "friend with benefits." We went out on a lot of fun dates--we took moonlight cruises on the river, we rode amusement park attractions, we shared a table and a pizza at an "indie" movie theater, we ordered take-out fish fry and returned to my apartment for a meal, some scotch, and some late-night loving! One day, several months later, Ramona, who unsuccessfully had been pleading with me to marry her, pointed to a ring in a jewelry store. "I want you to buy me that," she said. We went inside and looked at many rings. Ramona insisted she wanted a diamond engagement ring. "But we're not engaged!" I protested. "Then we'll call it a friendship ring!" With that as a clear understanding, I bought the ring she wanted. After several more months of wearing the ring with no further commitment on my part, Ramona gave up, and was soon planning a wedding with a guy she didn't love. On her wedding day, I noticed my ring had been replaced on her ring finger with a gold wedding band. Since my sister was her maid-of-honor, there was no problem finding myself alone in a room with Ramona as she was about to dress for the ceremony. "For old times sake?" I asked. And, yes, we made love! Later that day, everyone commented on how radiant the bride looked in white!
