And so it begins....

A few weeks ago, let's just say six, I got an e-mail from an acquaintance (we'll call him Potential Suitor for now) that I met while matriculating at university. The message basically said that PS would be in town in the next week and that it would be his diststinct pleasure to escort me on a tour of the city. I thought this idea a fabulous one! I love good conversation and I knew that an outing with PS would provide a pleasant reprieve from my usual social scene. We spent nearly a week speaking to each other's voice mails before we made plans, and I spent the entire seven days fretting about something I like to call the "love polygon." If you have ever been in a love triangle (a dreadful assignment that usually ends in disaster), you can probably imagine how terrible a love polygon might be! My little situation involves more than 3 people. In fact, it involves a number more and expands each day. (For purposes of clarification, I am not describing any untoward activity. A lady such as myself would never participate in such behavior.)

Imagine, you meet a great guy in the supermarket, you exchange numbers and make plans to have a date. You are exuberantly discussing with your best girlfriend the impending meeting when she says: "What's his name, again?" "John Doe?" "They call him JD, and he attended University X? He's in fraternity A?" You close your eyes, brace yourself, and reluctantly, you answer her questions in the affirmative. You dread the unspoken words that you can already hear. She knows something about him; namely, her mock trial partner is his ex and they were practically engaged and the poor tart happens to still be in love with him. Although the ensemble you had put together for the evening is stunning, you put that dress back in the closet and take off the heels in which you had been prancing around because you know that you cannot under any circumstances go out with JD. Or can you?

I have been privy to similar scenarios at least 5 times in the past two months. Mind you, I have been a near side to quite a few love polygons myself. So, what does one do in such a situation? My mommy's well-heeded advice was to avoid spending too much time or attention on someone who is part of "such a mess." I personally dislike being placed in awkward situations, and therefore, I will likely go to great lengths to avoid this altogether in the future. However, I would be a silly girl to miss out on a romantic prospect while trying to politely avoid stepping on another girl's toes with my Christian Louboutins. Especially someone to whom I have no real ties. Believe me, I am not advocating that you date your sister's love interest or the father of your best friend's daughter. However, if the relationship between you and the other female arc in that many-angled shape is superficial... put on that demure-with-just-a-hint-of-sexy dress and your peep-toe heels, dab a bit of Vera Wang at your nape and have a fabulous time with the intersecting gentleman!