So I says to Sally, I says: "Hey, do you want to hear something really funny?"

"Braawr," she croaked, because she has laryngitis, which was brought on by the fact that she's flying out of Chicago to visit a friend in Reno tomorrow, and therefore: Of course she's sick.

I took her reply as a yes, and proceeded.

"I don't know if you remember or not, but do you recall last year? You know, the tail end of our relationship? The way we kept in contact and stuff? Then the way I flew into Chicago that one weekend and totally surprised by asking you if you wanted to suddenly and dramatically change your entire life and come live with me forever in Los Angeles? 'Member?"

"Mra."

"Yeah, me too. Well, guess what happened with that girl I was dating..." and I went on and told the tale.

"Wow," she said, regaining the ability to speak for the purposes of this story. "Wow. I don't know what to say. I'm sorry, but that's really funny. Anyway, do you think I'm going to die?"

And I spent the next ten minutes talking her down while she looked up various throat-threatening maladies on WebMD.

It was just like the old days.

Yeah. So. I was hoping that I could avoid writing an entry about all this, but I can't. It's part of the little saga of Bill and it deserves it's due. I think the best way to address it is in a series of answers to FAQ's that I imagine people might ask if they were going to ask about such a thing, which they haven't, the thoughtless bastards.

Q: Wow. Jesus. What the fuck?

A: I know. Craziness. She called me Monday night and explained everything that was going on. I was very surprised, and, in spite of myself, a little amused. Of course, I'm also very sympathetic, having been in roughly the same place her ex may be, and also having put another girl in the same position.

Q: So, what's up with you two?

A: Pretty much on a break for now. It's not really fair to either of us to try to pursue something while she's dealing with all of this, no matter which way she's going to go. During our conversation , she assured me that I was in her mind during all this, that she regretted our being derailed. She also said some very nice things, and the call ended on a really sweet note. I didn't need anything more, and I'm cool with this development. The occasional hiatus is just part of life in Los Angeles.

Q: You going to do anything about this?

A: Yes. I am going to fight with every last drop of my blood to make that girl mine again.

Well, no, actually. I'm not going to do anything except let go, let her deal, not try to affect the situation, and let whatever happens, happen. I'm metaphorically going outside to have a smoke while the dust settles. However this shakes out is fine, as thankfully we were only a few weeks along. I'm not sure how much of the dust I want to actually watch settle firsthand, but this is something I'm going to figure out as I go.

Right.

That poor girl. I don't envy her right now. Having once been in the thick of something like this before, I know it sucks, and I know it's overwhelming. I keep thinking back to my relationship with Sally, and I take solace in the fact that what once felt like a nuclear bomb is actually, in hindsight, a firecracker.

Sally and I talk all the time, and even though we're no longer in love, we still love each other. Immensely. And I can't imagine a world where that isn't the case.

It can be interesting, the funny way in which life sometimes decides to serve you up a lesson or reminder. The best thing is, even if you can't always control what happens, you can choose what you want to take from it.

If nothing else, this situation has served to remind me that, even when two people don't choose a forever together, they can still be with each other, always.