Old Friend showed up unannounced this afternoon to get his gold watch, that for reasons unknown and unimportant to me, he keeps at my house.

When I answered the door, I was surprised to see him. He came in, asked if he could have his watch (he’s come and gotten it to wear and brought it back a few times,) so I went and got it out of my dresser for him.

When I came back to the living room and gave it to him, he said, “Thank you,” and turned to go back out the front door. I just happened to be headed out the door to pick up my Oldest Son who had called asking for a ride home from work, so I followed him out the door.

Prima-Donna-Daughter nabbed him in the front yard and gave him a hug, and I just followed him to the driveway, curious to see if he would say anything, or not.

He turned around, saw me looking at him, paused, and then said, “What’s the matter?”

Surprised that he wanted to play dumb, I just kept looking at him…intently.

After a few seconds, he said, “I’ll call you.”

I looked away first and turned to walk around to the driver’s door of my car. I don’t know if he stood there or immediately got in his car, but by the time I was backing out of the driveway, he had pulled away.

As forthright as I want to be in my life, I did not want to have that conversation in my front yard with kids for witnesses and eavesdroppers.

It is NOT cool to say one thing to me and do another. It is NOT cool with me to say you’re on your way over and never show up. And it is most certainly NOT cool with me to play dumb, like none of this is happening.

I don’t know what’s going on in his head, apart from what he’s told me, but that information is over a week old now. Maybe he thinks he can get away with behavior like this because we’ve known each other for so long – maybe there’s no need to impress. Maybe, he doesn’t see this the way I do at all – though I’d LOVE to hear his version. Or maybe, inter-FEAR-ence is running rampant and he’s running scared from his feelings. Hell, I don’t know.

His walk does not match his talk, and bottom line? That is a problem for me.