The Three-Way

Ha-ha. I thought that might get your attention.

 

Have you ever had an IM going with more than one person at a time? It’s tricky. Hell, it’s tricky chatting with one person because you can both be typing at the same time and one of you could be continuing the conversation while the other person has switched subjects. Imagine doing that face to face. You’d both be talking at the same time and then only after you were finished talking would you stop and think about what the other person had said. Doesn’t work so good.

 

image credit

 

Well, I had an experience a while back of someone I’m almost positive was chatting with me and someone else at the same time.

 

I was on Facebook and a dear person to me came online and a chat window popped up. Someone from my high school days. I won’t even try to explain what our relationship was because I can’t even figure it out. But suffice it to say, I still think he’s great so I don’t hold any of this against him. (And if he’s reading this, I hope he won’t hold this against me.)

 

We were chatting and I asked what his plans were for the weekend. He told me he had his son so they might try to catch a movie. I said I thought that sounded fun. I asked what he was thinking about seeing. He replied he hadn’t looked to see what was playing and that he’d better do that if they were going to go. I say something incredibly witty (not really, but it’s fun to pretend!) about how he’d hate to show up at the theater with his kid (who’s like five or six) and not have there be anything age appropriate. Time passes and he doesn’t say anything. Okay, no biggie. (I guess.) I continue playing my game.

 

Then he types something along the lines of if he were free to do anything tonight, but it cut off mid-thought. I looked at it for a while and wasn’t sure how to respond. I quickly came to the conclusion that it probably wasn’t meant for me, but that he was talking to someone else. More time passes and he doesn’t say anything so I start getting paranoid that maybe it was said to me and I’m being rude for not responding. Finally, he types something kinda like what he had started saying, but morphed it into even if he could do anything tonight, he wouldn’t know what to do. I could just picture him, seeing what he typed on my chat window and frantically trying to cover his tracks. You know, trying to play it cool and make it seem like he’s only talking to me.

 

But I saw through the act. And I laughed. All he would have had to do was say, "’Oops! I meant to say that to Steve or Justin or Mark (or whoever!) Sorry.’ and it wouldn’t have turned into this story. That’s what I would have done. Laughed at my stupidity and carried on. Doesn’t that make more sense? Isn’t that what you would have done? But instead, he tried to make it seem like I was the only thing he was focused on. But I’ve never been the only thing he focused on. Why would it be any different now when our lives have gone in such different directions?

 

But, honestly, how many of us focus on only one thing anymore? I know I don’t. Not even when it comes to my kids. There’s just too much happening everyday to give everything your undivided attention. While I’m writing this, I’ve been answering about a hundred emails from people because I have a meeting tonight and we’re all trying to get ready for it. I’m also putting together my report for said meeting, I have laundry that needs to go into the dryer and clothes that need to come out of the dryer to be folded. And grrr, another load that needs to go in the washer. Piss. Thank God the little guy is sleeping right now or I would be tearing my hair out. And then my husband would get mad because, for some reason, he likes my long hair. And he would blame my blog for taking up so much of my time. Well, my blog and PTA for taking up so much of my time. But he wouldn’t care that I lost a bunch of time this morning at the Y working out. Nope. Because the Y is his “insurance policy” that I stay thin. He actually called it that once. I don’t mind I guess, because in some way he’s right. (It did sting a little at first, but  I’m over it now. I like going to the Y. So far.)

 

Whoa, that went farther off track than I thought. I think I’ve had enough coffee for today, thanks.

 

I’ll just leave it at this. Three-ways can be a tough act to pull off. Even if it’s just online.

 

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.