We’ve all been there. Your heart sinks to our stomach. Can this be undone? You quickly shut off your phone and then turn it back on. You check in hopes that that fateful word – “delivered” – will not appear under that little blue blurb you have just sent. But there it is. Now our minds kick into fright or flight mode. How can I cover this one up? Could it be at all believable that “my friend was using my phone”?
In case you’re one of the select few who this hasn’t happened to – I am referring to the experience of sending a text message to the wrong person. Because it is just that – an experience.
Unfortunately, I found myself in this very situation on Saturday night. On my way to dinner with a good friend, I responded to a text message from Jason who I had been corresponding with for a few days. We had just recently escalated from online messaging to text messaging. When Steph and I were seated at the restaurant, I realized my text message had not gone through (which made sense since I was underground in the subway when I tried to send it). I held down the message, so as to copy the text, dropped my curser in the message box, hit paste and send.
I couldn’t believe what I saw on my screen. I had just sent Jason a copy of a message I had sent reaching out to a different guy online. Now, it is no great secret that Jason and I are both talking to other people. That’s just how the world of online dating works. In the beginning it seems only natural to invest all of your time and energy into one person who seems like they could be perfect for you. But, as you begin to meet more and more people who seem like they could be the right one but then turns out not to be, you learn that you simply cannot put all of your eggs in one basket.
But still, sending Jason this message meant for someone else felt like I had just shot myself in the foot. There was no covering this one up. I had no choice but to fess up to what I had done and try to somehow make a joke out of the situation.
“Maybe this can be one of those situations we look back on and laugh at?” I proceeded with hopefully.
“Haha – epic fail!” he responded
He was right. It was an epic fail.
“Without a doubt. But, an epic fail that can be forgiven?” I asked, still somewhat hopeful that this might turn out alright.
“Buy me a drink and we’ll call it even.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.”
To be continued (I hope).
