Absence makes the heart grow fonder or so they say. Can a relationship end because of distance? I think it not depends on the distance itself but on the persons and their feelings. In the short story “A Glowing future” by Ruth Rendell we see the three year relationship of Maurice and Betsy finished after Maurice spent a whole year in Australia. There are many reasons why long distance relationship don´t work but the ones that affected Betsy and Maurice were: Communication Breakdown: Couples in long-distance relationships have to make up for a serious lack of face time. It requires real effort to keep in touch and feel connected. it might become increasingly disheartening to communicate in less personal ways as time goes on. In the whole year they were apart, Maurice only phoned Betsy twice. Infidelity: “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
Monogamy can be a challenge over time even under direct supervision. Loneliness creeps in, new and interesting people appear when you least expect it. We get to know that during his time in Australia, Maurice started another relationship there, with Patricia. Lack of Trust: Plenty of relationships end because of trust issues, and long-distance relationships are a minefield of them. There’s really no way of knowing whether or not an S.O. on the other side of the country is cheating on you. But remember that close proximity offers no guarantees, either. This is not the case of Betsy at least, she was waiting patiently for Maurice, until he would come back and marry her.
The Cost of Keeping in Touch: Add to that long-distance phone bills, the shipping costs for care packages, and going all-out when you do get to spend time together, and you may be looking at a pretty pricy love connection. Airline tickets and hotel reservations Different Expectations: a couple should share more or less the same future plan. Maurice seemed to have commitment issues, he had planned to tour around Europe for three months as a free man free for the sights and the fun and the girls, however Betsy was making wedding plans before he came back. Not all the relationships are equal, and the way a long distance affect them will vary, but in the case of Maurice and Betsy it was decisive, and his infidelity unbearable. In this case absence did not make their love grew but die.