Twanna A. Hines @ FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com | sex. dating. relationships.

Brit Boy Behaving Badly

Wednesday after work, I meet my friend Tracy for drinks. We rendezvous at a lovely bar located in the 40s but tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Times Square. We chat about love and life; however, most of the conversation centers around our careers. Although neither of us knew it at the time, we both moved to New York (she six years ago, me six months ago) to begin new lives. We talk about the challenges of living here, namely, the prohibitive cost of living.

Then, we notice them.

British accents. Five of them. Immediately behind us. The boys start chatting us up. You know, the usual mating calls between Brit Boys and American Girls: we make fun of each others’ accents and correct each others’ English ( … though they, of course, claim that Tracy and I speak American, not English.) So, to be obnoxious, I say the words “KAM-bridge” and “LIE-chester” instead of “CAME-breedge” and “LES-ter.” And, Simon says, “you know that ending on that word [ … -shire …]? It’s not to be pronounced ‘shyer’ it is to be pronounced ‘sheer.’” We’re all laughing and talking and have a grand old time. Then, I see it for the first time. My eye catches the bling and I can’t stop staring at it.

“You’re married?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

He follows my glance down to his left ring finger. “Oh, you noticed that?” he asks as he looks away from me and at his friends. “I should have taken that off,” he says as he makes a joke and tries to remove his wedding ring.

The subject eventually changes. We all continue to talk with each other and laugh. It’s getting late and I’ve had one margarita too many. I should have stopped after the second one. The boys leave and we say goodbye. Tracy and I settle our tab and we leave the bar as well. In my past, I’ve hooked up with a boy or two even though I knew they had girlfriends. (In both cases, it began when the women were bitchy to me. I was young. Back then my rule was, “if you piss me off, I’ll screw around with your boyfriend if I think he’s cute.”) And, although I’ve had many hit on me, I don’t think that I could ever sleep with a married man. Even naughty girls have standards.