And They'll Tell Two Friends, And So On, And So On...

To be truthful, I was the first to be ham-handed. (The visual for that term has always made me chuckle a little.)

Scott has a friend named Bob who is as hapless and life-weary as anyone I've ever known. His life makes my life look sedate and uneventful.

But he's one of those guys who went to high school with us and was kind of a character. He was in my sister's graduating class and his sister was my lab partner in Chemistry - so I'd know him to see him and would not hesitate to say hello. His family had a summer home near Scott's family's summer home when they were kids. So they were friends. And FBFs as well, though unbeknownst to me.

One night, early on in our relationship, Scott and I were trying to make plans to see each other. Ninety miles makes you do some planning. One particular night was off the table because Scott had plans to see a hockey game. Bob had tickets and he'd invited him to go a few weeks back.

"I'm not really all that interested in going," Scott had said. "But I'd feel bad backing out on Bob now. They are really expensive seats and I doubt he has anyone else to go with."

We made our plans...and avoided game night.

Scott and I exchanged a few texts during the game - on trips to the mens' room, trips to the concession stand, breaks in the game.

And then late in the game, he posted to FB. "Great game. It's 3rd period. The guy to one side of me just asked me who we are playing. And the guy on the other side of me is asleep."

I commented, "Which one is Bob?"

And Bob, reading my comment immediately (I guess no one was paying attention to the action on the ice) and commented,"Watch it, Liza."

Oops.

I joked back, "Good to see you're awake and alert and oriented, Bob! LOL"

I was hoping he was LOL-ing.

So I would have to learn to have an awareness of who might be FBFs with whom, evidently. Like looking around the room before making a snarky comment about so-and-so's unfortunate choice of skirt size.

And then Scott's girls sent me Friend Requests a few days later. I did not know what to do. (Again.) I was a little taken aback at first. I am not sure why. I am FBFs with Charlotte's boys. It's not like there aren't a few young people getting regular status updates on my amusing life.

I asked Scott if he was comfortable with his girls and me being FBFs.

He was of course, so I accepted. What would it say to them if I hadn't?

And then I found out that they are (of course) FBFs with their mother, Scott's first wife.

Yikes.

And she and I have the same employer. Double yikes.

But even then, I was not feeling overexposed.

That would come later - when the frequency and nature of Scott's posts and mine would hint that we were more than FBFs.