Does "single" equal "freedom"?

I am now single. I never enjoyed the so called freedom that is acquainted with the single life. That may have something to do with my status as a single mother. I haven’t been free since 7:18pm on September 30, 2002. I was 17 on that evening. And prior to that, I was not free because I was a minor and my mother owned me (for the most part). I have never been able to come and go when I please. Therefore, I have always despised being single. I never could think of one way in which it was beneficial. I recently encountered a hurtful break up; my first heartache in my adult life. And that is when I discovered the first benefit to being single, there’s no possibility of a break up. You must be in awesome mental shape to endure a broken heart. If not…your work, your education, your family ties, and your social life may suffer tremendously. Still, this concept of freedom through functioning in casual associations exclusively... I still cannot grasp it.
Though I do not understand that theory I did feel a cool breeze of relief after my break up. My man was a full time blue collar job. He required so much, and the payout was minuscule. He needed his resume done, constant cover letters, some of my food stamps, his phone bill paid, for me to pay for his trips down to my school, shirt and ties for interviews, and a slew of other needs. I gave and gave and gave and gave, because he always appeared to be a guy who could flourish with the right support. And it is fine to help someone. But helping him meant… no thank you would be uttered. He was the worst of both worlds; needy yet distant. He required so much, and if I needed 5 bucks (during a period when he was employed) he would say he didn’t have it. If I said I wanted to go to the movies, he would say we would go… (We never made it) but the next time I called him, he was at the movies with one of his slob friends. But I continued to think, that if I continued to be supportive, that one magical day, he would wake up and see what he had….HA!
I spent many days full of anxiety in terms of his where abouts, our relationship, and the value or lack thereof that he placed on me. And then on a day I felt especially fed up, I ended it. And as instant as Uncle Ben’s minute rice, I felt a hulk sized weight lifted off my shoulders. I was saddened by my failure to make the relationship successful. I was disappointed because I felt like I had wasted a plethora of time, emotional energy, and money. I was displeased at the thought of leaving my comfort zone and getting back “out there”. The thought of meeting someone else and finding out all their issues … ugh!
But I was excited by the possibility of being able to start fresh with someone; without having to “overcome” so many obstacles, overlook so many flaws, and suppress so many unpleasant past events. I was pleased at the thought of not having to spend my money on anyone but myself and my child. I was joyful when I realized I wouldn’t have to balance a work load of not only my homework, but also his clerical/writing needs. I felt liberated that night when I didn’t have to keep my phone near me from fear of missing his call! And I felt loved, when I was no longer waiting to hear him say it. So, I felt excited, pleased, joyful, liberated, and loved once I became single. So… yeah maybe I felt free. Maybe I did experience freedom from relinquishing that relationship. However, at best, that relationship was… unhealthy and disproportioned. Maybe the freedom of the single life exclusively applies to escaping a bad relationship. Like Tim Robbins tunneling through feces to freedom in Shaw Shank Redemption. Maybe if you feel free after leaving a relationship, it’s because you were in prison.
But if you weren’t in a troublesome relationship… perhaps you’re using the word free as a replacement for the word lonely.