So, I finally got in touch with my friend Alison from the previous post. She actually called me this past Friday and said she'd like to have lunch Saturday. I managed to rearrange some things to make it happen. I tried to talk to her on the phone but being Alison she was in a bit of a hurry and promised we'd talk at lunch.
As it turned out I didn't actually get the chance to tell her about Paul having a girlfriend. She'd already found out on her own. She confronted Paul and he seemed nonplussed by her irritation and actually asked her what the problem was as according to him this other relationship had never interfered with his time with Alison and why was she upset? When Alison protested this so called logic of his he just shrugged and said he had never once proclaimed them to be exlusive and that if she wasn't comfortable with things the way they were then they'd best end it then and there. So Alison bid him farewell. I confessed to her that I had met the GF and that I wanted to tell Alison about her but hadn't been certain when or how to go about it. Alison said she understood and didn't fault me for it. I was relieved at that but sorry, so very sorry for all of this happening to her.
This has hurt her deeply, not just the betrayal but the utter and complete nonchalance of the man when confronted. It stunned her (and me to I have to admit) that he seemed perfectly at ease with her finding out, saw nothing at all wrong with the situation and actually had the gall to seem to want to turn it around on her as if her reaction to it all was excessive or unnecessary.As she relayed the conversation to me I found myself getting more and more cross. I think, should I ever see the man again I should want to never stop slapping him.
At first Alison suggested only half jokingly that we drink our way through lunch, but I reminded her of my current state, of being with child, and she decided taking me shopping was a better use of our time anyway. By the time I left her, her mood seemed to have improved somewhat but she was far from her usual bubbly self. We made plans for next weekend as well as solidified plans for her birthday next month. I think I shall be calling her or sending her texts a bit more frequently in the near future just to see how she is getting on.
I suppose in some small way I'm glad it's "over", mostly I'm just infinitely relieved by the way she seems to be taking it. Maybe she's stronger than I had given her credit for.
