I Get My Comeuppance

About a year or so ago, I met local fellow blogger Zoom. We had things in common since we were both single gals of a certain age who liked to write stuff on the internet, so we met for breakfast once in a while and attended an event or two together and chatted by email once in a while in between.

A few months ago Zoom met a man; a very nice man, with whom she had an instant rapport and with whom she has almost everything in common. It was like a Hallmark Movie of the Week where, in the background, The Carpenters are singing Close to You while the viewer is treated to a montage of the happy couple skipping through fields of daisies; sipping cappuccino under the stars at intimate cafés; sitting in crowds of hippies listening to emotive folk singers; browsing quaint, out-of-the-way curio shops…

Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Nahhhhhhhhhhh,Nah, nah, nah, nahhhhhhhhhhhh close to yoooooooooooo.

Anyway, how do I know they did all these things? Because Zoom has blogged about them regularly. Complete with photos. I’m telling you, these two get around. They’ve done an amazing amount of stuff together in a short period of time. Their weekends are crammed with activity; their evenings sparkle with projects and programs. I learned about events and happenings in Ottawa I didn’t know existed anywhere in the universe. And the adventures don’t stop there — together they have encounters with colonies of wasps, gremlin neighbours, irate motorists, respective family members of various sorts and unfriendly, urinating cats.

So, the other day I happened to make an assumption that the man in Zoom’s life, (to whom she refers as GC), would be attending an event that she was attending. He, (jokingly) wondered why I would make that assumption and I pointed out that he’s been featured in almost every one of Zoom’s blog posts since he made an appearance on the scene (I may have also said something snarky about hip-fusion surgery).

In retaliation, Zoom has recounted this exchange on her blog, along with announcing her intention of mentioning me in her blog every day for the rest of the month, instead of him. This has resulted in some interesting comments from her readers along with some general mockery and clamorous hues and cries for the reinstatement of the GC blogposts.

I’m not sure she has enough fodder for that many blog posts about me and probably when she sees her readership drop off from boredom she’ll quit. Today, for instance she actually begged me to write the post for her! I did, but I made it really boring; about how I wash my face. That should put an end to all this nonsense. Her readers are there to read about her adventures with GC and Duncan, her gigantic cat, and about her derision of Larry O’Brien and about her advocacy for poverty issues; not me.

I freely admit I don’t understand this Zoom/GC sort of entwining of lives. I’ve never ever wanted to spend that much time with anyone, but I also know it’s a normal thing to do and that I’m the freak here. I’ve had best friends, very best friends, boon companions, roommates, coworkers and close relatives disappear off the face of the earth when romance entered their lives. I don’t get it when someone I spent time with every day, suddenly has no time at all anymore for anything esle, but that’s life. As my hairstylist once said to me, “Honey you can be her best friend in the world, but he can do something for her you can’t and that trumps everything. Move on.”

I don’t see Zoom any more or any less now than I ever did, and it’s astonishing and even almost magical that she’s met someone so simpatico; but I still can’t help shake my head in incomprehension over the cohesion factor. And I couldn’t help allowing that one snarky remark to escape my heretofore carefully bitten lips. And I guess I’ll be getting a lot of flak over that until the end of the month. Maybe.