What happens when you get caught lying?
When you’re a kid it’s kind of a big deal. People are trying to mold you into a good person. So lying is something that is strongly discouraged. You may even get a you-need-to-care moment. But what about as an adult?
I don’t go out much. Most of the time I’m hanging out with my kids, but when I get the chance to go out, I do. I go out with friends, and sometimes I go out alone. Most people have issues hanging out by themselves, but I’m pretty comfortable with that. Table for one, no crying, no yelling, no baby food, no Thomas the Train engines on the table. It’s nice.
So when a friend of mine asked me to hang out a while ago. I said sure why not. It was a mutual agreement. She wasn’t my best friend, but I thought she was a close friend. I thought we both wanted to hang out. She suggested it, and I said yes. So we made plans. So you’d understand why I thought she wanted to hang out.
We set it up and were supposed to meet. But then I got the phone call. The sorry I couldn’t make it phone call. And that alone would have been all right. But then she went on … she elaborated. She gave me this big story on how she couldn’t make it because of work. She was overloaded, and this project she was working on extended itself, and she went on and on about the details. It sounded pretty serious. Regular Wall Street gone wild.
I said no problem that’s fine. Some other time.
But I still decided to got out. Nothing crazy, just a visit to Barnes & Nobles, just to get out of the house. But as I was leaving the store and headed to a restaurant, I saw her … she was across the street, getting out of her car and walking into another restaurant with a couple of chicks. They didn’t look like they were Wall Street people.
Dude.
It’s not like a live in a small town. I live in a heavy populated metropolis filled with anywhere from three to four million people. There’s no Piggly-Wigglys here. So running into her was not something I had expected, especially after she told me that big story.
So I stood there, at the cross walk. It was weird. I’d been stood up by a friend. She pulled a boyfriend move: The I’m-going-to-lie-to-you-because-I-really want-to-hang-out-with-the-guys-but-not-hurt-your-feelings move, which I thought was weird considering she asked me.
So I stood there for a second, contemplating what to do. It was weird. I didn’t want to make a big thing about it, but then again, why didn’t she just tell me the truth. I really wouldn’t have cared. What up?
So I did it. I walked into the other restaurant and headed to the bar. As I turned around to survey the scene I saw her. It took her a few minutes, but then she saw me. She did the double take and then looked mortified. That was all I needed.
I shook my head and just walked to the car.
She followed me outside and tried to explain the situation.
I told her, she didn’t need to explain. It’s not like we were dating. I told her to go back inside. I walked back to the car.
It was weird.
Stuff like that has never happened to me before. I don’t know, maybe it has and I never caught the other person. It’s not something to break apart a friendship, but I can’t imagine it would bring you closer. It does make you look at the person differently, though. I mean, I don’t think we’ll be drinking margaritas any time soon. And that’s o.k I’ve never minded drinking alone.
The Wish Factor 