Copyright ©2012 by Creole Gaudet. All rights reserved
No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system – except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper – without permission in writing from the publisher, Creole Gaudet.
You’re sitting home alone, wondering how you’re going to spend your Saturday evening. It’s been a busy work week, and you haven’t spent much time with your girlfriend outside of a couple of sleepovers during the week. You miss her. You figure it would be nice to spend some quality time together; maybe go out for dinner and catch that chick flick she’s been hinting about.
You grab your phone, tap the dial button, and wait. As it rings, you reminisce back six months ago when the two of you met and how glad you are to have her in your life. Just as you start drafting a message, she answers.
“Hey, babe, how are you?”
You’re smiling already at the sound of her voice. “Hey, hon, I was thinking that maybe we could get out tonight; get something to eat, and then head over to the movie theater. We can see the one you’ve been talking about. It doesn’t start until eight-thirty. We have plenty of time.”
“That’s so sweet, but I’m really tired…” She yawns loudly. “I’m really wanting to just stay in and get some rest.”
“Oh… Well, maybe we can get together tomorrow or something.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s do that.”
“Okay, well…”
“What are you going to do? Are you going out?”
“Nah, I’ll just watch some TV or something.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I was just asking, that’s all.”
“Are you okay? You sound out of breath.”
“Uh, I’m changing into my pajamas.”
“You’re going to bed already? Wow.”
“I’m just so tired.”
“Well, get some rest, sweetheart.”
“Okay, goodnight.”
You’re in front of the big screen, eating a burger and fries, intermittently chasing it with a cola while flipping through the channels. Basketball season is over, and the NFL preseason hasn’t even begun yet. After a couple of hours, you get annoyed.
You walk out on your balcony. The sun is setting. The weather’s nice. You have a change of mind. You feel some guilt going out alone, but it was she who begged off, and she’s surely asleep by now.
You decide to hop through a few bars just to see who’s out, maybe have a beer or two, and go to the movies anyway. Instead, you’re going for that action film you’ve had your eyes on.
You hit the shower, towel off, and head to the closet. You pull out a light blue pair of denims and lay a matching T-shirt across them just for looks. You pick out a belt, and you already know which pair of shoes will bring it all together.
You arrive at the local row of taverns where all the cool people hang out. Your favorite bartender already has your brand in hand as you grab an open stool. You two pass gestures as he pops the cap, placing it on the coaster in front of you.
As your eyes pan the crowd, you catch a gander at the couple walking in. For some reason, you find an immediate attraction to the female. You look closer. Something is all of a sudden out of place in your world. The planets have just misaligned. You’re now questioning reality.
You cannot believe your eyes. It’s your girlfriend out with another guy. You look at that bottle you’re drinking from and then back to your buddy, thinking that he must have dropped something in your drink. You’re expecting him to be eyeing you for a reaction to the Mickey he’d just slipped you. No, he’s doing what he was doing when you walked in. He’s serving drinks. Besides, you both went to high school together, and you know he’d never do anything like that.
You hesitantly look again, hoping to see something different because this could not be the same girl that you’d just gotten off the phone with only a few hours ago. Not the same girl who claimed she was so tired that she was heading straight to bed.
You try to rationalize things in your head. Maybe this is just a friend she’s with, a cousin…or maybe her brother. Maybe she didn’t want to tell you she was going out with him because you probably wouldn’t have understood. Yeah, that must be it, right?
You watch as he pulls out her chair before heading to the bar for drinks. She casually looks your way, and the two of you lock eyes. For all of five seconds, you’re frozen.
The mask of shock and guilt confirms that this guy is not just a friend or even a relative.
There’s heaviness in your chest, your nerves are tingling, and the fluttering butterflies in your stomach have razors for wings.
As you try to get your legs to stop trembling, you wonder what to do next.
Do you run over and make your presence known, getting angry at the guy like some men would? You know, blaming the other victim? That’s right, the other guy’s a victim too.
What do you do?
The simple answer is you do nothing. That’s right. If you get mad, causing a scene, you will validate her in ways you can’t imagine. Many women love to get it going between two guys. They feel a sort of self-worth when men fight over them.
No matter how bad it stings, don’t let her think you’re weak and that she’s hurt you. If you have to get yourself together, head to the can, enter a stall, lock the door, and let it out. That way, she can’t dip away from her date and try to do damage control when you’re mentally unprepared.
Go back and take your seat at the bar. Get yourself another beer or maybe something a little stiffer to lean on. Just be cool.
Now this is important. Whatever you do, do not look her way, not even on your way out.
Most likely, she’ll contact you right away. She will probably ask if you’re mad or upset. Stupid question, right? But you have to turn it all around. The relationship you thought you had is now a game. You can either tell her to jump off the nearest cliff or play along.
Of course, she’s going to try to justify it by saying that it didn’t mean anything. But counter with it was only a friendship, and no one said that you two couldn’t see other people.
She can’t then say the both of you were committed because that would mean she was caught cheating. At this point, she has no grounds; nothing to stand on.
In an attempt to win you back, she may want to come over and talk to you in person. She’s hoping to use her beauty and charm to seduce you.
But don’t give her the opportunity. Take her out to all her favorite places and avoid talking about the incident. Cut her off each time she tries to bring it up. The goal is to trigger memories of the good times that the two of you’ve shared and to make her realize what she’s done.
If she decides she wants to spend the night, let her.
However, under no circumstances do you let her touch you sexually in any way whatsoever. Do not even kiss her or let her kiss you. She does not deserve you. She has to earn that back over time.
But don’t wait for her, move on and start dating other women.
Now here comes the fun part. Let’s say you’re entertaining company and she calls, wanting to drop by. Why not let her? Don’t even give her a heads-up. Just let her in. It’s a friendship, remember?
You never know, the two of them may even get along. Now you’ll have two girls competing for you. The new girl is not going to let your old girlfriend come and move her out of her position, and the old one is not going to let the newbie take her spot. Take them both out, go back home, and hang out. See what happens.
You just may end up with both.
Creole Gaudet
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