You can fool some people for some time, but you cannot fool everyone all the time. That is what my mother told me when I was growing up. Of course I didn’t believe her, believing myself to be extremely good at pretending and lying. For a month, I managed to keep my two girlfriends totally bleak about the fact that I was going out with both of them.

Through a series of well planned dates, arrangements, and excuses and maneuvers, I kept both girls sufficiently well attended to.

Carole was happily back in my life, and I could tell she had missed me. However, I carried the heavy secret of Cathy in my heart all the time. Cathy, on the other hand, thought I had gotten over trying to get Carole back.  That was exactly what I wanted her to believe. It was the perfect equilibrium, but a very delicate one to maintain, especially since I hadn’t counted for one very important aspect; Jasmine.

For some time, Jasmine had left me alone. Jasmine, out of some twisted desire for vengeance, had sworn to break up every relationship I would ever have! Extremely beautiful and extremely heartless, she was not someone you took lightly.

She had already shown that she could do that by making Carole leave me the first time. Living just below my flat, she was in position to monitor who entered and left my flat.  I was curious about her leaving me alone this long, and I hoped she had forgotten about me. But that was a fool’s hope, because she soon made her grand entrance back into my life.

One day, as I watched movies with Cathy in my flat, Jasmine walked into my flat. She never knocks. She ignored Cathy, said "hi Shem, long time no see”, and made herself comfortable on the seat opposite Cathy.  And she started ripping apart the lie I had so carefully cultivated. "So, Shem, have you told this pretty girlfriend of yours about your other girlfriend Carole?

I looked at her, trying so hard to show that I was not panicking. I told her that Cathy knew about Carole. Then Jasmine asked me: "but does she know that you and Carole are back together?” Cathy’s eyes almost popped out. She looked like she had swallowed a fish bone.

Then Jasmine simply walked out of the flat, without saying anything to Cathy! Such arrogance! I felt like I could strangle Jasmine, but I guess she knew that I couldn’t beat her up because she was a girl.

I looked at Cathy, and didn’t know what to say. She asked "Shem, is what that girl said true?” and I denied it! I told her it was of course a lie! She looked at me like she wanted to ask something else, then changed her mind, and kept silent. We continued to watch the movie, but my mind was racing in 100 different directions.

I was certain Cathy was processing the new information before she made her decision. That Jasmine girl is like a curse to my life! But Jasmine wasn’t through with me yet.

She had to make sure that I lose everything. So, last Thursday, as I again watched movies with Cathy in my flat, Carole walked in! I wished the earth would open up and swallow me, because that was certainly the end of the story for me; my two girlfriends were in the same room! How was I to survive that! Carole looked at Cathy, who stared back at her.

Stupidly, a silly thought ran through my mind; maybe they wouldn’t leave. Maybe they would both stay and we would be happy together, me and my two beautiful girlfriends!

Silly indeed, because at that moment, Cathy stood up, picked her bag, brushed past Carole and walked out of my flat. Carole continued looking at me with a look of disappointment, hurt, and loss of faith in the male species. Just as I started to say "Carole”, Jasmine walked in.

And she said "Hey, Shem, I saw Cathy in your flat, and I called Carole. Carole would be pleased to get to know your other girlfriend, wouldn’t she?”

Ends