I was at a friend's birthday dinner the other night. As time went on, people kept leaving, until there were five of us that were hanging out for a little while. It was my friend (birthday guy) and his wife, another friend, his girlfriend, and myself. Hello fifth wheel!
It's never really fun to be the third, fifth, or any odd-numbered wheel in a group. You know that sooner or later, the conversation will lead to 'couple talk', and that's when it gets really, really awkward. And this is especially so if you're not in a relationship. If you have a girlfriend / boyfriend that couldn't make it, it's still odd, but not that bad. But when you're depressingly alone, 'couple talk' doesn't help you all that much. You pretty much want to bury a hole, and stick your head inside it like an ostrich (or whatever bird that does that). Let's just say it's not fun.
The good thing was that new topics of conversation kept coming up that had absolutely nothing to do with relationships. And as any single person amongst couples would do, I kept milking those topics for all they were worth to avoid said talk. Eventually, that talk did come up, and I zoned out for a little bit... I think. In any case, it was short, and hence sweet... again, I think. But it got me thinking about something - what if you're with a couple or two or x, and there's two of you that could fit the category of odd-numbered wheel?
In that same scenario, if there was a girl that was there with us, and we were friends or acquaintances, how awkward would that have been? It probably would have been worse if I actually liked her too... holy crap, I just realized I sound like a teenager, and I should be in bed. That's it, this entry's over.
