Shifty Lousys
Friday, February 25, 2011 at 05:03PM So, yesterday I was sitting in a Starbuck's when a couple came in and sat down behind me. I was minding my own business, but I couldn't help overhearing. The man, wearing a crisp blue button down and tie with slacks, looking very corporate, was talking as he collected their overly-done coffee drinks. He was saying "I hate telling this story" in a voice loud enough that all in the room could hear the story.
His date was clearly younger, not more than 10 years, and jusdging by her outfit, of lower corporate station. She was cute, with a mature but naive look to her. Yes, I'm being very superficial, but that's all I have to go on, and I'm setting the stage.
So, he starts telling this story. I couldn't hear every word as I was actually working on my computer developing a landscape base plan. The gist of the story is that he had married a foreign woman who was a single mother. She was being harassed by the child's father, she's gone back to her homeland to either care for her special needs child, or to fight for custody, or both... long story short: HE'S MARRIED.
Clearly this little coffee get-together was something of a first date. Did I mention that he's already married? What I heard was that he just wanted her to be clear about his situation, "in case this becomes more of a relationship" (ie: he's expecting to get laid), so that she wouldn't be blindsided in the future if his wife showed up someday, (she can't get indignant about his marital status because he's being honest about his status).
He went on to say that he could get the marriage annulled (he hasn't), but it was a complicated situation, and he was hoping that this young lady would be able to look past his past. She was clearly taken aback by his story. She was having a hard time processing it all while maintaining a pretty smile, trying to appear supportive and accepting of his pitiful plight. After the whole story was complete, he was impatiently awaiting a sign-off that would give him the green light to continue his courtship ritual that would ultimately fulfill his desire to bed her. He was literally twisting in his seat waiting for her to say something like "oh, you poor thing" or just an accepting"okay".
I'm sure I sound like a prude, but yuck. What a sleazebag!
Despite my reputation for being an in-your-face confrontational feminist, I did not drop a LousySpouse business card on the table in between them as I left. I did, however, tuck one into the ladies' room mirror, and left one with a hand-written note saying "Run Away,Girl!" on the sink. Whether she visited the ladies room before she left is a mystery to me, but her situation was certainly interesting to me.
Do people always try this shit? A separation is not a divorce. Once you get involved with a separated person you are an accessory to adultery. Yes, a marriage may be over, and yes it may be messy. Stepping into that mess leaves shit all over you. It happens every day, and I should not be surprised, but I am disappointed.
