Close But No Cigar, The Final Chapter

First, a quick recap: Curt screwed Allison, Allison saved Curt; Curt screwed Paige and Gina dropped a bomb. Now back to our regular scheduled program; already in progress.

My girlfriend Gina had gotten a new job and was going to start working with me…and Paige, the next day. I quickly realized I had three options. One, come clean with Gina about Paige and hope for the best. Two, pack my shit and move away before morning. Three, sit tight and hope for a fourth option. OK, I had one option.

“So, you start tomorrow?” I asked Gina as calmly as possible while suppressing an all-out anxiety attack. “Yes, I have to report to the restaurant at four o’clock to start training,” she replied. Just then a warm beam of light from heaven cast down all over me as the sweet voices of angels sang in unison, “Ahhhhhhh.” Option four, I didn’t know what it was yet, but I was just given another twenty-four hours to figure it out. Paige got off work around two in the afternoon, and Gina wasn’t going in to start her training until four. I didn’t know many of the evening employees, so I figured I was safe for at least another day. Hallelujah!

The next day, I weighed the evidence and decided on a course of action: Do nothing. I had a couple of things in my corner. First of all, I had already let my relationship with Paige die a slow death a few weeks prior. Also, Gina was going to work all evenings and Paige was going to continue to work all mornings, so they may never work together. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell anyone Gina was my girlfriend. So by the time the rumor mill had worked its magic, I could write off any story Gina may have heard to, just that, a rumor. Time was my new best friend and, after a few weeks, I was able to breathe again. And I learned a couple of valuable lessons from all of this. First of all, don’t panic and secondly…uh, (I'm sure there was something else).