Lately, the term "Narcissist" has come to mind many times in communicating with this fella. Having some unfortunate experience since my divorce with a textbook Narcissist (more than one, actually, ashamedly, I admit), I am fairly aware when their behaviors are displayed. Today, I looked up "Aging Narcissist" on the Internet. Just as this fella has described himself for several years now, he is alone, without friends, reclusive, the textbook prognosis for the N is exactly this.
This brings to mind my early, immature contact with him, when, after he graduated from college, would send me reams of long letters, several a day, all about himself, and I finally stopped reading them. I felt guilty for years, literally!, for placing all those letters in a huge (4 foot tall box!) in the attic of my college dorm and leaving them there for eternity (I often wonder if they're still there!).
So...this is validating to me, after all these years of feeling like I hurt someone badly, to realize my instincts, even as a young woman, were correct.
I have deleted his emails, the last one rec'd this morning, saying he enjoyed the "communciation," though it was again all about himself, acknowledging nothing I had said.
Patty