The Less They Know, The Happier They Will Be
You suddenly end up in a relationship. You weren’t expecting it to happen. It was a couple drinks, some tonsil hockey, and suddenly you’re waking up in a strange room next to someone you barely know. Being a gentlemen, you also know that brunch is in order to thank your willing partner for the previous evening romp…but it doesn’t end there.
Six years pass, maybe a kid or two, and she still doesn’t know about your whole past. Maybe it’s the bastard child you left in that small hometown many years ago. The trail of jilted ex-lovers that seem to know your new phone number. That name change, she also doesn’t need to know about how or why that happened either. Although you might feel a little guilty about keeping secrets from her, you know it’s safer for both of you, plus she has a pile of baggage a mile high…which you don’t want to start sifting through.
Both of you are much happier just existing in the day to day joy of each other. She doesn’t need to know why you aren’t being approved for that mortgage, or why you refuse to complete a family tree. Let sleeping dogs lie.
The past is exactly that…past. The best relationships out there are created by individuals that know when not to press for the honest-to-gods truth. I am not condoning outright lying here, however if a little white lie…or a big fat juicy one…helps to smooth things over for the moment, you know what to do. I find that to keep the story consistent, it’s best to write some of those bigger fibs down in…of course…a Secret Diary. During a solitary moment over coffee, I can pull out that booklet and just make sure I am still on script, and fill in some of the story holes if I was to ever get quizzed. Always be prepared.
So, the next time you’re asked what’s really on your mind… you know you could answer it two ways…and only one of those is right. You know which one to pick.
Chris