I expected a quiet Saturday evening for the first time in a long time but at the last minute, a girlfriend of mine called to ask if I could meet her for a drink. (I had only the night before gone on a date with the hubby and we kinda got blasted, well at least I did. But it was fun.)
Brenda is a good friend I met during my pageant days years back. We connected and went out several times before she had to uproot the whole family and head to Shanghai, where her husband had been posted. She is in her late 30s and has two young kids and a dog.
They left in 2006 but she returns to Singapore with her kids twice a year to spend time with her parents. Not expected to be back in Singapore until April next year, I was a little surprised that she called me.
So we met at my favourite whisky bar along the quay. I just love a place with lots of bottles all over the place. Sub-consciously I guess, it's just security that your glass will never be empty.
So after the formalities were out of the way, she immediately got down to telling me about her 'situation'.
Married for eight years, I had always thought her marriage was a happy one. According to her, it was until the big shift.
The moment her tone changed, for some strange reason I was almost expecting what was to come.
"I'm having an affair," she said solemnly.
I tried to look surprise. Now this doesn't mean all the married women I know are having one, but when a hitched girlfriend suddenly has 'something important' to tell me, it's usually one of three things:
1. Her husband is having an affair.
2. She is having an affair.
3. She hasn't cum in the longest time.
Then came the bummer - she was having an affair with her husband's colleague - who is in the same management level as him. Now I figured this had the potential to get tricky. But still, I was not totally shocked. I caught my breath and was about to ask her the usual probing questions when more words rolled out of her mouth.
"His colleague is a she!" Brenda clarified.
Okay, this one I wasn't prepared for!
But still, this didn't explain why she was back earlier than expected. She quickly added that this other 'party' had come down with her after Brenda's husband had suggested that Brenda accompany her to
Singapore to show her around!
So Brenda wanted to get out of the relationship and wanted to know what I could suggest. At that point, answers escaped me. In fact the same hangover I had earlier in the day returned.
My insensitive first response - 'How is the sex?
According to Brenda, it was great initially but her guilt has been showing up lately and messing with her head more and more. You don't say!
They say guys sometimes think with their balls first but I suppose this is one good example that some women are culpable of the same thing - in this case thinking with their pussies! (equivalent would be ovaries - but it doesn't quite have the same impact does it?)
She's really got herself neck-deep in shit!
So my first politically correct suggestion to Brenda - end it and come clean with her husband. Brenda however, was adamant this was not a good time to do so. For now, she needed a strong stop-gap measure to end the relationship once and for all.
So then, my girlfriend-correct suggestion - tell this other party that she is going to have another baby with her husband! Saying you want to break it off might trigger an angry and impulsive response which could get messy for all parties. My logic was if she blamed herself for not being careful enough, it would be easier to be forgiven.
After all, it's not like you can ask the pregnancy to go away. Besides, she will be leaving for home in April next year. With this other party out of the way, it would be easier talk to her husband. If this other party wonders why Brenda isn't showing by that time - she could tell her something went wrong with the pregnancy. At that point, I felt so conniving, so evil and so ready for another whisky.
Anyway, we left it as that but this morning, Brenda called me and told me she put my suggestion to action. Now I didn't think she would do it so soon or even take my suggestion seriously considering I wasn't in exactly the sober frame of mind to be dispensing good advice, but to cut to the chase, it worked!!
This other woman was warm and consoling and even suggested Brenda concentrate on being a mother!
I certainly won't suggest using my suggestions if you are faced with a similar situation. There are always unique fixes to unique problems. However, there need not be such problems in the first place if spouses talk and share with one another. Failure to do so is a sure-fire way to ruining any relationship - marriage or not.
Imagine if they had talked things over, and if her husband and his colleague are open to it. All parties are satisfied. In fact they could discuss business while at it, while you don't need to feel left out at all. Visually - hubby dogging you, and you eating his colleague. See? They are busy and you are busy too. Everyone gains, no one gets cheated, hurt or left out.
Missus Singapore out!