About 5 years ago, I moved from Roanoke, VA to a small town in Montana to build a new life. I started working at a mechanic, mainly in agriculture and transportation.
One of our major clients was a Hutterite colony (Amish that can use technology) and they hired me to do some extra work around their farm, outside of my work (Fixing their cars, wiring a couple of houses, helping fix their barn). While there, I got to know all the people there. This included her, who we will call "K" for the remainder of the story. Now K was the kind of girl who you could tell was rebellious. She and her sister were responsible for buying feed for their animals and would come to my town to buy them. Because all the men were working, she and her sister would go alone and because of all the other stuff they had to do, they'd be in town all day.
K and I got to know each other. She was beautiful (which couldn't be said about many other girls in her colony), funny, smart, and very lovable. We quickly fell in love. At first it was us spending time together when she was in town and texting/calling when we could, to her sneaking out and me picking her up in the middle of the night. I respected her beliefs, but she pressed on and it became very physical as well. After our fifth or sixth time having sex, she secretly spoke to the colony leader about our relationship and how she wanted me to join the colony. I had built up a rapport with these folks and had done so much work for them that the leader immediately said yes. The next time I was down there, the leader pulled me aside to talk to me about what K had said. I told him I would like to think about it and for the next few days. I wasn't built for that life (not the religious part, but the staying in one area part), but didn't want to ask K to leave. I told her my concerns and she said she would leave the colony to be with me.
Fast forward a few months and we're engaged, the colony has shunned her for leaving and we moved to Utah. She is getting homesick and isn't used to being so far away. She breaks up with me and heads back to the colony.
I still hear from her through a coworker who manages their repairs now, she's married and is pregnant (although he said when I am brought up she is unusually happy).
Until a year ago, I was depressed. I'd drink a lot, get mean as all hell to anyone who ticked me off, and was an all around asshole. I moved to a new town in Utah and started fresh.