The Most Common Lie Men Tell Us




I remember him walking into the party because he looked sharper than usual. It was the first time I saw him wearing a suit jacket. As he came toward me for a hug, I noted he wore a stylish pocket square and cufflinks.He would be soon lost in a sea of people wanting to greet him.And off he went, smiling, shaking hands, and hugging bright-eyed girls hello.Everyone loved him and held him in high regard.I remember stepping back and watching him with curiosity. He very much surprised me that night. He was the best-dressed man in the room. He looked like he had it all together.I was the only person who knew that inside, his world had just fallen apart.Life is funny. When you expect someone to be devastated after a breakup, sometimes they aren’t as upset as you’d think. Someone loses their job and maybe they are secretly relieved. Sometimes endings are blessings that bring people back to life again.Or maybe people just handle things better than we think they will.I wondered that as I watched him float around the party, politely declining cocktails and debating over whether to join the men outside for a cigar.But I couldn’t get him alone long enough to see how he was really doing.I finally caught him in the hallway when he was getting his coat to leave. He was making a sudden departure and I knew why.The woman who had just broken off their engagement had shown up with a new man by her side, his arm wrapped snugly around her as if he’d just captured a new toy.“I can’t do this,” he said as he strove toward the door, his eyes laser-focused on the exit and nothing else.