The Memo I Didn't Get

I said in my last posting that the Irishman had set off a chain of events that was another story for another time. Though the story has since dissipated a bit, I thought it only fair to share the story.

It all began after randomly seeing the Irishman at the pub. Apparently a memo went out that I never received. I can only assume it said something like the following, "If you have made out with BH in the past, it is suddenly time to get back in touch and try and talk about it. Don't worry if it's been a few years."

The same day I saw the Irishman I ended up having a conversation with one of my buddies who was with me at the time. GM and I have been friends for a few years. We actually met at my local bar via our mutual friend the bartender. We've been good drinking buddies every since. A year or two ago he randomly drunk dialed me one night at like 10pm. Unfortunately, I was on my way home from work. He told me to stop by our local. He was getting drunk because he'd been laid off that day. I stopped by and ended up driving him home b/c he lived a few blocks from me and was in no condition to drive. We ended up making out a bit in the car and then went our separate ways. We've never talked about it and just always hung out as friends after. Suddenly we're having this conversation in the bar which is sort of ironic since he started it, but then didn't want to finish it. Whatever, I'm over it.

Then I get a random IM from another buddy, N. N is originally from Ireland and in the Army Reserves. N and I were more than friends, but less than dating. We hung out quite a bit, enjoyed each other's company and generally made out when we spent time together. However, we never really evolved beyond that. We both got caught up in our lives and next thing I knew he was dating another girl and then spent a year in Iraq. He thankfully made it home safely and is now living w/ said girl. Somehow during our IM conversation the whole thing came up and we started chatting about it. Not that it does me any good to hear a guy say that he always liked me when he's living with someone else. Not my cup of tea.

Next I get a random email from a buddy I met a few years ago. I was up in Napa for a friend's farewell evening. This guy, R, was in town for it as well. We hit it off really well, but he's married and at the time had a new baby girl. We spent the whole night chatting and playing pool. We really enjoyed each other's company, but of course never took it any further than that despite the chemistry. We've kept in touch on and off since then. He randomly emailed me and it started this whole conversation that essentially culminated in, "If my situation had been different I would have liked to explore the possibilities. I really enjoyed spending time with you."

Now don't get me wrong, that's sweet and all. But honestly, what good does it do me to hear someone who's married say something like that? Neither one of us would ever go there. We both have too much respect for marriage. It makes me wonder - When do I get in on the ground floor? When do I get to meet one of these people before they are taken by someone else? Do men really only say these things to someone when they are in another relationship and therefore it's safe to say that to a person? I feel like a hypocrite even asking because I know I rarely have the balls to say something like that to a person I like. But seriously, why even bother saying it when you can't act on it?

Anyway, there were a few others thrown in the mix at the time as well. It just made me think, what the heck? Did a memo go out that I didn't get blind-copied on? These are the the things a girl should have some warning about! I didn't know men even liked to talk about these things after they happened, and suddenly everyone's crawling out from the woodwork and trying to discuss it.

As MB would say, I just dunno.