Timing

This last week I've been reading a book. I could type out the title, but the truth is that it wouldn't matter, because the concept I've drawn out of it pervades all literature, movies, television shows, etc. In the story, there are two guys and a girl. The two guys are best friends. The girl is and always has been in love with guy A. Guy B is in love with the girl, while guy A still has something for a completely different girl. Well in this telling of the timeless triangle tale, guy B died, and that prompted some intense soul-searching on the part of guy A and the girl. All that time, guy B hadn't said anything out of loyalty to his friend, and because he knew the girl loved that friend. The girl had secretly loved both of them, and admits to guy A that if his friend had asked her, she would have married him. When I read this, a thought came into my mind like, "What the crap?!?"

Why does this happen all the time? I'd like to say my previous exclamation was out of surprise, but it was out of knowing disgust. I was forced to come to the realization that this plot was familiar because I had played it out in my own life, more than once, even (Obviously I am speaking in general terms, none of my friends have died). Right now I really like a girl. I'm horrible with this sort of thing, but I thought a few years ago that she might have been interested in me. I liked her a lot too, but there was somebody else I liked more at that time and I thought it would be unfair to her to persue anything. Now that the other girl has moved on, and I like this girl, it seems that she isn't interested. How much simpler would life be if we just had better timing? There would be so much less angst, so much less grief. Good grief. People would be happier; more people would be together. And perhaps authors, screenwriters, and playwrights could move on to bigger and better plotlines.